THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1987
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT REPORT +HELPFUL FOR REVIEW+ *****
THE REPORT ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT BY THE OMELCO CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS PANEL WILL BE HELPFUL WHEN THE GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS THE GREEN PAPER ON THE 1987 POLITICAL REVIEW LATER THIS YEAR, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
HE NOTED THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAD DONE A VERY THOROUGH STUDY OF THE SITUATION,
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A TOUR OF TAI O ON LANTAU, SIR DAVID WAS ASKED ABOUT A SUGGESTION IN THE REPORT WHICH RECOMMENDED NO CHANGES TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THAT THE GOVERNOR REMAIN AS PRESIDENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
SIR DAVID SAID: I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IN HONG KONG IS TO DEVELOP THE SYSTEM GRADUALLY AND TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND THEN REVIEW THEM AND THEN MOVE ON.
+BUT WE SHOULDN'T GO IN FOR MAJOR CHANGES AND DRASTIC CHANGES ALL AT ONCE. IT'S MUCH BETTER TO PROCEED IN A GRADUAL WAY.+
THE GREEN PAPER WOULD BE PUBLISHED AT THE END OF MAY SIR DAVID SAID.
ASKED IF THERE SHOULD BE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES IN 1988 THE ACTING GOVERNOR SAID IT WILL DEPEND VERY MUCH UPON PEOPLE'S REACTIONS TO THE GREEN PAPER, I THINK. BUT WE'LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT THOSE REACTIONS ARE.+
EVERYTHING WAS BEING DONE IN PROPER TIME, HE ADDED.
IN REPLY TO ANOTHER QUESTION, SIR DAVID SAID IT WAS RAISED IN THE 1984 WHITE PAPER THAT THE PRESIDENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD BE LOOKED AT AGAIN IN THIS YEAR'S GREEN PAPER.
+ BUT IF THE GENERAL VIEW IS THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO CHANGE, THEN THAT'S THE GENERAL VIEW.
ON WHETHER A DECISION HAD BEEN MADE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ASSESSMENT OFFICE TO GAUGE PUBLIC OPINIONS, SIR DAVID SAID: +WE WILL BE TELLING YOU ABOUT THAT VERY SHORTLY.+
COMMENTING ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT TO TAI 0, SIR DAVID SAID THE FIRST THING TO DO WOULD BE TO BUILD THE SECOND STAGE OF THE LUNG TIN PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE AND THEN TO CLEAR THE OLD STRUCTURES FROM THE CENTRAL OF THE CREEK THERE.
+TAI O IS A VERY OLD FISHING SETTLEMENT. IT HAS A HISTORY OF SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS AND MANY OF THESE OLD STRUCTURES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CREEK THEMSELVES HAVE A HISTORY OF OVER 100 YEARS,+
HE SAID.
/+BUT THERE