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SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 1987
CHAIRMANT NEXT QUESTION, YES PLEASE.
TOM MCMULLEN (PRESS ASSOCIATION); IN AN ANSWER A FEW MOMENTS AGO
YOU SAID YOU EXPECT TO HAVE AS MUCH ACCESS TO MINISTERS AS THE PREVIOUS GOVERNOR, CAN YOU SAY IF YOU ASKED FOR A COMMITMENT THAT YOU WILL HAVE THAT ACCESS, AND IN PARTICULAR, ACCESS TO THE PRIME MINISTER?
I
SIR DAVID I DIDN'T NEED TO ASK FOR A COMMITMENT, BUT HAVE TOTAL
CONFIDENCE THAT THAT ACCESS WILL BE THERE. I DIDN'T NEED TO ASK FOR IT.
CHAIRMAN: NEXT. AT THE BACK.
PATRICK KEATLEY: CAN I ASK A RATHER PERSONAL QUESTION. THE USUAL
THING THAT HAPPENS IN PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF, YOU GET CHRISTENED OR RE-CHRISTENED BY THE CHINESE, AND YOUR HONG KONGERS AND YOUR COMMUNITY, AND I DIMLY KNOW THAT YOU ARE WEI DE WEI, BUT I WONDERED IF YOU COULD SAY IT FOR US PROPERLY, AND IF IT HAS ALLUSIONAL REFERENCE, PLEASE ILLUMINATE US.
SIR DAVID: YOU CAN PRODUCE ANY ALLUSIONS YOU LIKE WITH MANY CHINESE
NAMES, BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF HOMOPHONES IN CHINESE, AND YOU CAN HAVE GREAT FUN WITH ANYBODY'S NAME, I'M SURE, INCLUDING YOUR OWN PATRICK. MINE IN PUTONG HUA IS WEI DE WEI, BUT IN CANTONESE IS NGAI TAK NGAI, AND THERE IS, I THINK
I THINK, A PROBLEM IN THAT THE CANTONESE VERSION OF THE CHARACTERS THAT I HAVE USED FOR MANY YEARS, AND WHICH WERE GIVEN TO ME BY MY FIRST TEACHER, THAT THEY DON'T SOUND ANYTHING LIKE MY ENGLISH NAME, AND I'M TRYING TO CONSIDER WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PROBLEM. IT WILL NOT STOP..WHATEVER NAME I USE, WILL NOT STOP ANYBODY HAVING GREAT FUN WITH THE HOMOPHONES AND ALL THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS YOU CAN GET FROM IT.
CHAIRMAN:
ANOTHER QUESTION.
ANY MORE? YES PLEASE.
JOHN DICKIE (DAILY MAIL): HOW SOON DO YOU THINK YOUR NEXT VISIT
TO PEKING WILL BE?
SIR DAVID I THINK MY FIRST PRIORITY IS TO ESTABLISH MYSELF IN
HONG KONG, THAT'S THE CLEAR PRIORITY, AND I WOULD ONLY GO TO PEKING, OR CONSIDER GOING TO PEKING AFTER THAT. I WOULD HOPE, AS I SAID, TO FOLLOW IN THE PATTERN ESTABLISHED BY SIR EDWARD YOUDE, OF OCCASIONAL VISITS TO PEKING, AND 1 SHOULD HOPE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, BUT NOT BEFORE I HAVE DONE THE FIRST PRIORITY, WHICH IS TO ESTABLISH MYSELF IN HONG KONG.
CHAIRMAN:
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? YES.
IT
JULLAN MARSHALL
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