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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1991
Q.:
EMILY LAU OF THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW: SIR DAVID, I WANT TO ASK YOU A QUESTION WHICH FOLLOWS ON FROM WHAT MR PAUL BAYFIELD SAID AT THE OPENING. GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS SAID THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN SPEAK FOR THE HONG KONG PEOPLE, AND THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE FINAL SAY ON ANYTHING THAT STRADDLES 1997, TOGETHER WITH THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION TO HAND OVER THE REIGNS OF POWER ΤΟ PEOPLE ELECTED BY THE HONG KONG PEOPLE, DO YOU THINK THE HONG KONG PEOPLE CAN LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE? THE FACT THAT THE PROMISES IN THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT WE WILL HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY, AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT HERE WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE ΤΟ THE PEOPLE, ARE THOSE PROMISES STILL GOOD, OR IS THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATION TELLING US THAT THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG WILL BE A GOVERNMENT THAT IS A PUPPET OF PEKING?
A.:
GOVERNOR :
I SEE NO REASON TO SAY THAT THE PROMISES IN THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE IN ANY WAY CHANGED ON EITHER SIDE. AS FAR AS BRITAIN IS CONCERNED, AND OF COURSE THAT IS THE ONLY ONE I CAN SPEAK DIRECTLY FOR, THERE IS NO CHANGE WHATSOEVER IN THE BRITISH COMMITMENT ΤΟ THE JOINT DECLARATTON. I HAVE SEEN NOTHING TO SUGGEST THAT THERE IS ANY CHANGE ON THE CHINESE SIDE TO THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE PROMISES THAT THEY HAVE UNDERTAKEN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. THOSE PROMISES INCLUDE THE WAY IN WHICH HONG KONG WILL OPERATE AFTER 1997 AND THAT INCLUDES POLICIES FOR HONG KONG TO HAVE A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY. SO THOSE SHOULD REMAIN THEY ARE THERE ON THE RECORD, A FIRM COMMITMENT BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.
NOW WE HAVE
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TO PUT THIS IN A MORE PRACTICAL WAY WE HAVE TO. OVER THE NEXT SIX-AND-A-HALF YEARS, FIND WAYS BY WHICH WE CAN BOTH KEEP THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT INFORMED OF MAJOR POLICY DECISIONS, THE WAY IN WHICH WE DO THINGS, SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THOSE ARE, SO THAT THEY DO NOT GET TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY MAJOR THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING HERE, BECAUSE THAT I THINK COULD WELL BE DISRUPTIVE. AND WE HAVE TO AT THE SAME TIME MAKE SURE THAT BOTH NOW, HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND HONG KONG, TAKES THE DECISIONS WHICH ARE WITHIN ITS OWN FRAMEWORK OF AUTONOMY FOR TAKING DECISIONS, AND TO TRY TO SET THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK FOR THE SAR TO DO THE SAME AFTER 1997.
NOW YOU MENTIONED A CERTAIN AMOUNT ABOUT POLITICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THERE IS WHERE I WOULD LIKE TO GET BACK TO THE POINT T WAS MAKING EARLIER ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM. WE NOW HAVE, THIS YEAR, A CHANCE FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE PART IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM DOING SO, BECAUSE ONLY IF THEY DO SO, AND DO SO IN SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS, AND DO SO RIGHT ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF POLITICAL OPINIONS IN HONG KONG, CAN WE BUILD UP A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHICH WILL BE THE SORT OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NEEDED ΤΟ FULFIL THE ROLE IT HAS UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION, OF HAVING A GOVERNMENT WHICH IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AS JS WRITTEN DOWN. WE NEED PEOPLE NOW TO TAKE PART IN THE PROCESS. IT WON'T BE EASY, THERE ARE NO MAGIC FORMULAS FOR IT BUT IT NEEDS HARD EFFORT.
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SIR,
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