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EMILY LAU, OF THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: SIR DAVID, I HAVE A QUESTION ON CONFIDENCE AND THE RISING ACTIVITIES OF THE CHINESE COMMUNISTS IN HONG KONG. DO YOU AGREE WITH OBSERVATIONS THAT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE NOW DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP, PARTICULARLY IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISING ACTIVITIES OF THE UNITED FRONT AND WHEN THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE GETTING THAT LEADERSHIP FROM EXCO OR LEGCO?
H.E. PEOPLE HERE, I THINK, WOULD HAVE TO TELL ME WHETHER HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP AND WHAT SORT OF LEADERSHIP. IT IS QUITE DIFFICULT, I THINK, IN THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES TO PROVIDE EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE LOOK FOR. THERE IS A GOVERNMENT HERE WHICH IS EXTREMELY ACTIVE AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND WILL GO ON BEING ACTIVE. BUT VERY OFTEN YOU GET A PSYCHOLOGICAL SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR MUCH MORE THAN THE GOVERNMENT IS IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE. NOW THE REASONS FOR THAT ARE NOT EASY FOR ANY OF US TO EXPLAIN. IT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR. IF PEOPLE ARE FEELING THAT THEY LACK LEADERSHIP THEN THAT IS A FAILURE OF OUR SYSTEM. WE SHOULD BE TRYING TO CREATE A SOCIETY IN WHICH PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY ARE FACING THE PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE TOGETHER, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG BECAUSE WE DO HAVE PROBLEMS TO FACE. BUT IT MUST BE FACING ALL OF THESE TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY AND THAT IS BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE, BOTH THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. PRECISELY WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IN YOUR QUESTION IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME TO DISCOVER THEREFORE TO ANSWER.
AND
EMILY LAU: SIR DAVID, WHAT I AM SAYING IS, DO YOU AGREE THAT THERE IS THIS RISING INFLUENCE OR INFILTRATION OF THE COMMUNISTS IN THE HONG KONG SOCIETY? DO YOU ACCEPT THAT AS A · FACT, FIRST OF ALL? AND DO YOU ALSO ACCEPT THAT THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL ARE VERY WORRIED BY THIS TREND? OF COURSE, IF YOU DISPUTE ALL THAT, THEN THAT IS FINE, BUT IF YOU ACCEPT THAT, THEN WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT DOING ABOUT IT? I MEAN, OF COURSE WE UNDERSTAND '97 IS A REALITY, OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME OUT AND TELL THE PEOPLE THAT THAT IS IT, YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT?
H.E.: LET ME TRY TO ANSWER THAT. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT I NOTICE HAPPENING IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANY MORE LINKS WITH CHINA THAN USED TO EXIST BEFORE AND I SEE THAT HAPPENING FOR TWO REASONS. ONE 19 STRAIGHTFORWARD ECONOMICS, CHINA IS DEVELOPING, IS OPENING UP. THEREFORE PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE INVOLVED ECONOMICALLY WITH CHINA THAN THEY EVER WERE BEFORE. SECONDLY, PEOPLE HAVE AN EYE TO THE FUTURE. IN 1997 HONG KONG IS GOING TO BE AN S.A.R. OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. THEREFORE PEOPLE ARE RE-ESTABLISHING MANY OF THE CONTACTS WHICH THEY USED TO HAVE WITH THE MAINLAND OF CHINA AND WHICH WERE TEMPORARILY BROKEN BECAUSE OF POLITICAL EVENTS IN CHINA. SO THAT IS HAPPENING, THAT PRODUCES A FEELING OF A GREATER DEGREE OF CHINESE INFLUENCE IN THIS TERRITORY. NOW THE NEXT PART OF YOUR QUESTION, WHAT CAN OR SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT IT. FIRST OF ALL, I THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE REALITY OF THE FUTURE. IN 10 YEARS' TIME, ROUGHLY. HONG KONG IS GOING TO BE AN S.A.R. OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE LAID DOWN FOR THE FUTURE BUT IT IS GOING ΤΟ BE A CHANGE. WE MUST BE PREPARING OURSELVES FOR THOSE CHANGES. WE MUST BE TRYING TO BUILD UP A HONG KONG WHICH IS STRONG WITHIN ITSELF SO THAT IT HAS THE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE OF CARRYING OUT IN PRACTICE THAT DEGREE OF AUTONOMY WHICH IS PROMISED FOR IT IN THE JOINT THAT, I THINK, IS THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE COMMUNITY.
HIGH
DECLARATION.
/CAROL BOGERT