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WEINESDAY, JULY 15, 1987
"ECONOMIC CHAOS, OF COURSE, IS THE LAST THING THAT HONG KONG SHOULD EVER HAVE, FOR IT CERTAINLY WILL MEAN UNREST WITHIN THE SOCIETY. OUR PROSPERITY DEPENDS ON STABILITY; OUR FREEDOM DEPENDS ON OUR HAVING AN ORDERED SOCIETY.
"WE MUST PRESERVE THE BEST OF WHAT HONG KONG PRSENTLY OFFERS ITS CITIZENS FREEDOM, OPPORTUNITY, CHALLENGE, AND AN
EFFICIENT, ECONOMICAL, AND REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT,
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"THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT CALLS FOR RADICAL CHANGE SOUND IMPRESSIVE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT SAYING 'NOW' IS MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN SAYING 'LATER'.
"BUT HONG KONG DOES NOT NEED SUPERFICIALLY ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS. HONG KONG DOES NEED OPTIONS WHICH ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT, CONSIDERED, AND GRADUAL. IT NEEDS OPTIONS WHICH ARE PRAGMATIC YET PROGRESSIVE.
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MOVING TO OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THE GREEN PAPER, MR CHEONG SAID HE HAD RESERVATIONS TO THOSE OPTIONS THAT WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF CHANGING THE ADVISORY ROLE OF DISTRICT BOARDS.
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'HONG KONG THRIVES ON THE ABILITY OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES WITHOUT TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE FROM POLITICAL INFLUENCES.
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HE SAID IF THE ADVISORY ROLE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS WERE CHANGED TO HAVING SOME EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, IT WOULD BE A FUNDAMENTAL DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG'S FORMULA OF SUCCESS AND THIS WOULD HAVE INEVITABLE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON BOTH THE MORALE AND THE EFFICIENCY OF THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS.
"PERHAPS IT MAY BE TIMELY TO POINT OUT THAT A SIZEABLE MAJORITY OF THOSE HON COLLEAGUES PRESENT IN OUR IN-HOUSE MEETING WHEN WE PRELIMINARY EXAMINED AND EXCHANGED VIEWS ON THE GREEN PAPER WERE ALSO OF THE OPINION THAT THE ROLE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS SHOULD NOT BE CHANGED.
T
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MR CHEONG ALSO SUPPORTED THE OPTION THAT THE PRESIDENCY OF LEGCO SHOULD, IN 1988, STILL BE THE GOVERNOR AND THAT IT WAS ONLY FITTING THAT THE GOVERNOR MUST HAVE THE OPTION OF APPOINTING OTHER PERSONS TO ASSUME THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHAIR IF THE NEED AROSE.
HE ALSO SAID IT WAS A FACT THAT THERE WERE DEFICIENCIES IN CERTAIN PRACTICAL ASPECTS IN RELATION TO THE ELECTION EXPERIENCE WE HAD IN 1985. "THEREFORE I AM INCLINED ΤΟ SUPPORT THE PREFERENTIAL ELIMINATION SYSTEM FOR OUR FUTURE ELECTIONS.
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"ONE WORD OF CAUTION HOWEVER IS THAT SUCH A SYSTEM WILL FALL APART UNLESS THERE ARE RULES TO STIPULATE THAT EVERY VOTING PAPER MUST BE MARKED WITH ALL THE PREFERENCES OR ELSE SUCH A VOTE WOULD BE COUNTED,
NOT
/"ALSO, IN