THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1989
GOVERNOR INTERVIEWED ON NATIONALITY PACKAGE
*
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF A RADIO INTERVIEW GIVEN BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, ON THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE:
REPORTER: SIR DAVID, PERHAPS YOU COULD JUST FIRST OF ALL GIVE US YOUR REACTION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR HURD IN PARLIAMENT?
ELSE,
GOVERNOR : I'M PLEASED THAT WE HAVE NOW GOT AN ANNOUNCEMENT; IT MEANS THE END OF A PERIOD OF WAITING, AND THEREFORE OF UNCERTAINTY. WHAT I'D HOPE IS THAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT OF A SUBSTANTIAL PACKAGE WILL BE A PSYCHOLOGICAL BOOST AND WILL MEAN THAT A VERY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE LEFT HONG KONG, WILL NOW STAY IN HONG KONG WITH ASSURANCES ABOUT THEIR OWN FUTURE AND CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS HONG KONG'S SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY. OF COURSE, IN AN IDEAL WORLD WE WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO HAVE FULL PASSPORTS FOR ALL BRITISH NATIONALS IN HONG KONG BUT IT HAS BEEN CLEAR FOR SOME TIME NOW THAT THAT WAS NOT GOING TO BE POLITICALLY POSSIBLE IN THE UK. WHAT WE HAVE GOT IS SOMETHING WHICH HELPS то CREATE THE SORT OF STABILITY AND THE REASSURANCES FOR A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHICH WE HAVE BEEN ΤΟ LOOKING FOR. WE'VE GOT UP TO 225,000 PASSPORTS WHICH WILL BE GOING PEOPLE WHO OTHERWISE WOULD BE SEEKING THEIR ASSURANCE SOMEWHERE AND I THINK IT IS A KEY THING THAT THOSE PEOPLE WILL STAY IN HONG KONG; WITH SOMETHING LIKE 50,000 HOUSEHOLDS, THAT IS 50,000 HEADS OF FAMILY WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE GONE TO CANADA, THE UNITED STATES OR PLACES LIKE THAT, THEY WILL BE STAYING IN HONG KONG, CONTRIBUTING HONG KONG. AND THAT NUMBER OF 50,000 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD, THAT IS EQUIVALENT, AT THE PRESENT RATE OF PEOPLE LEAVING, TO ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS' DEPARTURE OF OUR MOST TALENTED PEOPLE. AND THE LAST POINT I MAKE IS THAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS, APART FROM KEEPING PEOPLE IN HONG KONG THAT IS CRUCIAL - THE OTHER THING IS THAT IT GOES ACROSS THE BOARD, IT IS NOT SOMETHING SOLELY FOR THE ELITE, IT IS A SCHEME WHICH MANY PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, CAN ALL APPLY TO, SO IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS ELITE. AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL NOW TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, THIS OPPORTUNITY, FOR A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO APPLY SO THEY WILL REMAIN IN HONG KONG.
REPORTER:
J
Ꮀ
TO
THE
USE
THAT
BUT IS 50,000 HEADS OF HOUSEHOLD A FIGURE WHICH YOU THINK 1S GOING TO GIVE THE CONFIDENCE WHICH HONG KONG NEEDS? IS IT GOING TO GIVE THE CONFIDENCE FOR PEOPLE TO STAY HERE?
OF HOUSEHOLD IS A
AS I WAS SAYING A
GOVERNOR: WELL, I BELIEVE THAT 50,000 HEADS SIGNIFICANT FIGURE; IT IS A VERY LARGE FIGURE. AND UP TO 225,000 PASSPORTS IS ALSO A VERY SIGNIFICANT FIGURE. MOMENT AGO, IT IS THE EQUIVALENT OF FOUR TO FIVE YEARS WORTH OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN LEAVING HONG KONG RECENTLY. SO THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND ANOTHER THING IS THAT IT GIVES ONE PACKAGE: NOW
WILL BE A CHANCE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO MAKE THEIR
BUT THIS IN ITSELF IS AN IMPORTANT AND SIGNIFICANT
MAYBE THERE
CONTRIBUTION
OWN
CONTRIBUTION.
/REPORTER:
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