30
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1988
PAPER,
PAPER AND "JUDGING FROM THE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE 1987 GREEN THE 1988 WHITE
MANY YOUNG
AND PROFESSIONALS
YOUNG TO DEVELOP INTELLECTUALS ARE DISILLUSIONED OVER BRITAIN'S COMMITMENT
ROOTED IN THE PEOPLE BY 1997 A SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY," HE SAID.
"UNLESS THE BRITISH AND CHINESE SENSITIVITY TO PUBLIC OPINION, THE FROM THIS IMPORTANT SEGMENT
GOVERNMENTS SHOW
GREATER
REACH VERY HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC
LEVEL OF EMIGRATION, ESPECIALLY OF THE COMMUNITY, COULD IN THE EARLY
AND PUT 1990'S, CHINA'S MODERNISATION PLANS AND
WORRYING
PROPORTIONS
ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EVEN DEVELOPMENT IN SOME JEOPARDY.'
"
NO INDICATION HOW NEW SYSTEM WILL WORK
A
NOT REALLY A BLIND ALLEY,
THE WHITE PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IS WAY FORWARD, ONLY A STEP SIDEWAYS INTO WHAT COULD BE DR THE HON HELMUT SOHMEN SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING DURING THE DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER, DR SOHMEN SAID WHERE HE DID "PART COMPANY" WITH THE WHITE PAPER, IN QUESTIONING THE PRACTICABILITY OF ITS RECOMMENDATIONS, WAS ON THE OVERALL COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND ON THE TOTAL LACK OF ANY INDICATION OR DIRECTION AS TO HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WOULD WORK OR HOW IT WOULD PROGRESS BEYOND 1991.
THIS POINT HE LOOKING GLASS: ONLY 1 DON'T KNOW
HE SAID THAT IN CONFRONTING THE WHITE PAPER ON FELT LIKE ALICE 1N LEWIS CARROLL'S THROUGH THE "SOMEHOW IT SEEMS TO FILL MY HEAD WITH IDEAS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE!"
CONSISTENTLY
HE SAID THAT OF COURSE, AS A GRADUALIST WHO HAD ARGUED FOR A CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO PROGRESS ON THESE VERY COMPLEX AND
THAT FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES, HE WAS PLEASED
ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE HAD BEEN DEFERRED AT LEAST UNTIL 1991.
THE DESPERATE URGENCY SUGGESTED BY SOME LEGCO MEMBERS AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY FOR CHANGES WITHIN THIS YEAR HAD ALWAYS A MYTH.
BEEN
HONG
ELECTIONS
SO WAS THEIR CLAIM THAT A SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY OF THE KONG POPULATION WAS IN FAVOUR OF THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT TO THE LEGISLATURE IN 1988.
/DR SCHMEN