4
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1991
1
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID FORD,
IN THE MOTION DEBATE ON NEW AIRPORT
IS 1
SIR, I HOPE MEMBERS WILL FORGIVE ME IF I INDULGE IN WHAT OTHER MEMBERS HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE COURSE OF AN EARLIER DEBATE, AND THAT TO TELL A SMALL STORY TO START MY SPEECH, AND NOT THIS TIME ABOUT MR. WONG OR MR CHAN, BUT ABOUT A MR MARTIN LEE. AND I HOPE HE WILL ALSO FORGIVE ME IF EVIDENCE WHICH I PRODUCE IS HEARSAY, AND NO DOUBT HE WILL CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. IT DOES COME HOWEVER, FROM AN IMPECCABLE SOURCE. THE STORY GOES THAT ON THE DAY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT, MR LEE APPROACHED ONE OF THE LADY MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, EMBRACED HER WARMLY, KISSED AND SAID: "WELL DONE, THAT'S A GOOD AGREEMENT". NOW, I FIND THAT A VERY FASCINATING STORY FOR TWO REASONS; FIRSTLY, THAT MR LEE CERTAINLY SEEMED ON THAT DAY ΤΟ THINK THAT THERE HAD BEEN A GOOD AGREEMENT SIGNED, EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY AND QUITE CORRECTLY, HE RECOGNISED THE ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IN COMING TO THAT DECISION.
IT FALLS RATHER ODD WITH THE SUGGESTION TODAY THAT THIS DEAL HAS BEEN DONE BEHIND THE BACK OF HONG KONG WITH NO PARTICIPATION, EITHER OF THE ADMINISTRATION OR INDEED, OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. THE FACT OF THE MATTER, SIR, AS YOU HAVE SO CLEARLY PUT IT. THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION AND THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WAS INVOLVED AT EACH STAGE. WE ARE NOT LIVING IN THE DAYS OF "STEAMED PACKETS AND COURIER PIGEONS" WE HAVE CONFIDENTIAL FAX, WE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH BOTH WITH LONDON AND INDEED, WITH OUR NEGOTIATORS IN PEKING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF THESE DISCUSSIONS. AND CLEARLY WHAT WAS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THIS 13 A PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENT, IS THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS WERE ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG TO THE ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE AFTER ALL, WE ARE GOING TO BE THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD THE AIRPORT. AND I'LL COME BACK TO THAT AGAIN IN A MOMENT.
MUCH HAS BEEN MADE BY MEMBERS OF THE SO-CALLED CONSPIRACY IN THE DARK DAYS, BETWEEN THE DAY IN WHICH THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAB ANNOUNCED, OR WAS ASSIGNED, INITIALED ON THE 30TH AND THE 4TH WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED. IT WAS A DIFFICULT TIME CLEARLY. THERE WAS A SITUATION IN WHICH WE KNEW THE AGREEMENT WAS INITIALED, CERTAINLY WE DID BECAUSE WE. WERE INVOLVED UNTIL 3 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WITH THOSE NEGOTIATIONS. BUT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT CLEARLY TOOK SOME TIME. THERE WAS SOME CO-ORDINATION TO BE DONE. CO-ORDINATION BETWEEN PEKING AND LONDON, AND OF COURSE OURSELVES, AND THOSE. ARRANGEMENTS TOOK TIME. THERE WAS NO CONSPIRACY. WE WERE NOT IN THE
DARK.
AND SIR, I THINK YOUR STATEMENT WHICH WAS MADE AT A DIFFICULT TIME, WHICH SAID THAT THE POSITION, THE PUBLIC POSITION ON THE AIRPORT REMAINS UNCHANGED, WAS SIMPLY A REFLECTION OF THE FACT THAT THE PUBLIC POSITION ON THE AIRPORT WAS INDEED UNCHANGED SINCE YOU LAST MADE COMMENT AT THE AIRPORT.
THE
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/LET ME