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BALE: SIR DAVID, SOMEBODY WATCHING THIS PROGRAMME MAY FEEL, WELL, YOU WOULD TALK ABOUT COMMITMENT, YOU WOULD TALK ABOUT CONFIDENCE, I MEAN THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE PAID TO DO, YOU HAVE A BRITISH PASSPORT, YOU WON'T BE HERE IN 1998. BUT THE VIEWER, PERHAPS WORKING IN A MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY OR HAVING HIS OWN SMALL BUSINESS, DEALING EVERY DAY WITH COUNTERPARTS IN CHINA, SEEING THE CORRUPTION, SEEING THE INEFFICIENCY, SEEING THE BUREAUCRACY, AND THEN COMPARING THAT WITH WHAT HE SEES IN HONG KONG, CANNOT LOOK TO THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WITH CONFIDENCE. HE LOOKS FORWARD WITH FEAR OR DESPAIR.
GOVERNOR: WELL, I HOPE IT IS NOT TRUE THAT ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS PROGRAMME FROM THE PLACES THAT YOU SUGGEST ARE LOOKING FORWARD WITH FEAR OR WITH WORRY.
THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT CHANGE, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. THAT I SHOULD BE COMMITTED TO MAKING A SUCCESS OF THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE. IT IS NOT SIMPLY BY JOB, IT IS MY OWN PERSONAL COMMITMENT TO TRY ΤΟ ACHIEVE THAT. WE FACE A CERTAIN HISTORICAL MOMENT FOR HONG KONG. MANY PEOPLE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE PREFERRED THAT THAT CHOICE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE MADE, THAT THOSE DECISIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE WERE NOT FORCED UPON US. BUT THAT IS THE HISTORICAL SITUATION IN WHICH WE FIND OURSELVES.
NOW WE, AND I, MUST TRY TO ENSURE THAT THAT WORKS AS WELL AS IT POSSIBLY CAN FOR THE GOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. BECAUSE THERE WILL, IN 1997, BE FIVE AND A HALF, SIX, MAYBE OVER PEOPLE LIVING HERE.
SIX MILLION
WE MUST DO WHATEVER WE CAN FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE PEOPLE, AND WE MUST TRY TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH NOT ONLY CAN THEY HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE, BUT WHICH THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE, THE HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY, HONG KONG LOOKING AFTER ITS OWN AFFAIRS, ACTUALLY WORKS.
LIU: SIR DAVID, WHAT ARE YOUR MAJOR CONCERNS IN MAINTAINING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY; FOR EXAMPLE THERE IS THE LABOUR SHORTAGE, PROPERTY PRICES, ESPECIALLY COMMERCIAL RENTS, ARE SKY HIGH, AND MIDDLE MANAGEMENT PEOPLE ARE LEAVING, PLUS INFLATION IS BACK. HOW DO YOU THINK THESE PROBLEMS WOULD BE WORKED OUT?
GOVERNOR: THE WAY YOU PUT IT MAKES IT SOUND MARVELLOUSLY GLOOMY BUT IF YOU GO ROUND THE REST OF THE WORLD AS I HAVE BEEN DOING RECENTLY AND YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN HONG KONG, YOU TALK ABOUT 13 PER CENT REAL GROWTH LAST YEAR, 11 PER CENT REAL GROWTH THE YEAR BEFORE, AN AVERAGE OF 8 PER CENT REAL GROWTH OVER
20 YEARS, THEY ARE ASTONISHED. THIS IS FAR BETTER THAN MOST ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD MANAGE TO ACHIEVE.
NOW OF COURSE WE HAVE GOT PROBLEMS. WE HAVE GOT INFLATION AT THE MOMENT WHICH IS UNCOMFORTABLY HIGH. WE HAVE GOT A LABOUR SHORTAGE WHICH IS LARGELY A PRODUCT OF A BOOMING ECONOMY, WE HAVE GOT PROBLEMS. BUT DON'T LET'S GET OVERWHELMED BY THESE PROBLEMS, AND FORGET THE VERY REAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY.
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