MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1987
E
'TOO SOON' TO TALK ABOUT AMENDING PUBLIC ORDER LAW
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IT IS A BIT TOO SOON+ TO TALK OF IMMEDIATELY AMENDING THE PUBLIC ORDER (AMENDMENT) ORDINANCE WHICH WAS ENACTED LAST WEEK, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
+WE SHOULD SEE HOW THE LEGISLATION WORKS AND LOOK AT IT IN MORE DETAIL OVER THE MONTHS AND YEARS AHEAD, SAID SIR DAVID, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE AT THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY'S TRAINING CENTRE IN ABERDEEN.
SIR DAVID SAID:+I DO THINK THAT LAST WEEK THE DEBATE TOOK PLACE IN GREAT DETAIL AND THERE WAS A VERY STRONG MAJORITY FOR THE DECISION NOT TO ADJOURN THE DEBATE AND TO CARRY ON WITH THE DEBATE.
+THE DEBATE WAS FINALLY PASSED ALSO WITH A VERY STRONG
MAJORITY.+
ASKED IF HE THOUGHT THAT THE LEGISLATION WOULD BE REVIEWED IN A FEW YEARS TIME, SIR DAVID SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT ALWAYS LOOKED AT LEGISLATION.
ADDED.
+LEGISLATION IS CONTINUALLY BEING AMENDED AND REVIEWED,+ HE
ASKED WHETHER THE PASSAGE OF THE BILL WOULD AFFECT PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, SIR DAVID SAID:+! DON'T SEE WHY IT SHOULD DESTROY CONFIDENCE IN THE SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AFTER ALL.
+THE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST WEEK WERE VOTING ON THE MEASURE AFTER A VERY CONSIDERABLE PUBLIC DEBATE. SO IT SHOULD STRENGTHEN CONFIDENCE IN THE SYSTEM.+
ON REPORTS THAT THE JOURNALISTS WERE GOING TO LOBBY FOR OVERRULING THE ORDINANCE, SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT THAT WAS THEIR RIGHT.
+THAT IS THE RIGHT THAT WE ENJOY IN HONG KONG FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH, HE SAID.
REPLYING TO ANOTHER QUESTION, SIR DAVID STRESSED THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND REGIONAL COUNCIL SHOULD INFORM THEMSELVES THOROUGHLY OF ALL THE ISSUES INVOLVED AND ALL THE FACTS OF THE CASE.
+IT'S NOT GETTING THROUGH TO THEM YET. BUT IN FACT WE HAVE REMOVED A GREAT DEAL OF REPRESSIVE LEGISLATION IN REPEALING LEGISLATION LAST WEEK AND I DON'T THINK THAT FACT IS THOROUGHLY APPRECIATED YET,+ HE SAID.
ON A SUGGESTION