GOVERNOR GIVES TELEVISION INTERVIEW
THE FOLLOWING IS A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE TELEVISION GIVEN TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON.
THE INTERVIEWERS WERE CHRIS BALE OF ATV AND BETTY LIU AND THE MODERATOR WAS CHRIS HILTON OF RTHK:
INTERVIEW
OF TVB,
HILTON: THE YEAR IN QUESTION, 1988, HAS BEEN ONE OF INCREASING PROSPERITY AND OPTIMISM FOR HONG KONG BUT THESE ARE BEING TEMPERED BY AS YET UNRESOLVED POLITICAL DEBATE AND ARGUMENT. THE ECONOMY HAS MADE A STEADY RECOVERY FROM THE CRASH OF THE STOCK MARKET LAST OCTOBER. EXPORTS CONTINUE TO GROW, BUT THE SPECTRE OF DOUBLE DIGIT INFLATION LOOMS ON THE HORIZON, AND INDUSTRIALISTS HAVE BEEN DOGGED BY
SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF SUITABLE LABOUR. THERE HAS BEEN MOUNTING CONCERN DURING THE YBAR AT THE STEADY SEEPAGE AWAY TO COUNTRIES LIKE THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA OF MANY OF HONG KONG'S BRIGHTEST AND BEST: THE BRAIN DRAIN, A PROBLEM REGARDED SO SERIOUSLY THAT THE SPECIAL THINK TANK ANNOUNCED THIS YEAR TO FORMULATE STRATEGIC PLANS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE WILL HAVE IT AS ONE OF THEIR MAJOR PRIORITIES.
THE PROBLEMS OF THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DRAG ON, AND HONG KONG'S HARDENED ATTITUDE TOWARDS NEW ARRIVALS HAS AROUSED SOME CRITICISM.
ON THE POLITICAL FRONT, NEW FACES HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND THE PROCESS OF HAMMERING OUT A CONSTITUTION FOR POST 1997 HONG
KONG, THE BASIC LAW, HAS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BUT FEARS PERSIST IN SOME QUARTERS THAT HONG KONG'S PROMISED AUTONOMY MAY BE COMPROMISED IN THE FINAL DOCUMENT.
THESE AND MANY MORE ISSUES HAVE BEEN EVERYDAY CONCERNS FOR THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, SIR DAVID WILSON, AND IN THIS SPECIAL PROGRAMME HE TALKS ABOUT THEM WITH TWO DISTINGUISHED TELEVISION JOURNALISTS, BETTY LIU OF TVB AND CHRIS BALE OF ATV.
BALE: SIR DAVID, 1988 HAS BEEN YOUR FIRST FULL YEAR AS GOVERNOR. LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEAR, WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG?
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GOVERNOR: I TEND NOT ΤΟ SEE THINGS IN TERMS OF WHAT I PERSONALLY AS A SINGLE PERSON ACHIEVE BUT MORE WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOING. I WOULD LOOK ON THIS AS BEING A VERY EVENTFUL YEAR. I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY TRUE OF MOST YEARS IN HONG KONG, THEY ARE EVENTFUL. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS DONE, IT ADDS UP TO A VERY SUBSTANTIAL SERIES OF MAJOR DECISIONS AND A LOT OF THINGS IN WHICH WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD, LET ME JUST PICK OUT SOME OF THOSE.
THE ECONOMY, THAT IS GOING WELL. THE RATE OF INCREASE OF EXPORTS IS NOT AS HIGH AS IT WAS LAST YEAR. THE RATE OF GROWTH WON'T
LAST BE AS HIGH AS IT WAS
YEAR. THAT IS
WERE A GOOD THING. WE OVERHEATING IN THE ECONOMY WITH 13 PER CENT GROWTH IN REAL TERMS AFTER 11 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS. SO THE ECONOMY IS GOING REASONABLY WELL, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE PROBLEMS AS CHRIS HILTON WAS MENTIONING JUST NOW,
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