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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1991
QUESTION: AT THIS POINT?
WHAT SORT OF CANDIDATE DO YOU THINK HONG KONG NEEDS
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SIR DAVID: THAT'S ALWAYS A TERRIBLY DIFFICULT QUESTION, IBN'T IT? YOU'RE SORT OF TRYING TO DRAW UP A CHECK LIST OF QUALITIES FOR A GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG IT IS NOT EASY. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO CAN LOOK AFTER THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG. IT IS A HIGHLY COMPLEX SOCIETY NOW, IT IS THE ELEVENTH LARGEST TRADING TERRITORY IN THE WORLD, IT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT GLOBAL TRADING TERRITORY
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IS ONE SIDE, THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG, SOMEBODY WHO CAN DO THE ADMINISTRATION WELL. THEN PERHAPS MORE THAN MOST OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD, WE HAVE A SERIES OF QUITE DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS TO MANAGE. WE'VE GOT A CRUCIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND THAT NEEDS GREAT CARE, CAREFUL MANAGEMENT SOMEBODY WHO CAN DO THAT. WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE METROPOLITAN COUNTRY; AND WE HAVE THE HANDLING OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG, SO YOU NEED WHO CAN MANAGE ALL OF THOSE THINGS. SO IT IS SOMEBODY WITH ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE AND WHO HAS GOT SOME SORT OF VISION AND ABILITY TO DEAL WITH LEADERS IN COUNTRIES LIKE COUNTRIES IN THE UK, AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. CATALOGUE OF QUITE A LOT OF ATTRIBUTES AND ABILITIES SOMEBODY WHO CAN FULFIL AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OF THOSE.
CHINA,
LEADERS OF NOW THAT IS A AND YOU NEED
QUESTION: SIR DAVID, THERE ARE SO MANY SUGGESTIONS IN THE UK THAT YOUR SUCCESSOR IS MAY BE A HIGH PRESTIGE POLITICIAN, DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?
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SIR DAVID: I THINK WHAT MATTERS - WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THE QUALITY OF THE PERSON, THE QUALITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL, NOT WHERE THEY COME FROM. I DON'T THINK THE SPECIFIC BACKGROUND OF A PERSON IS CRUCIAL THING, IT IS THE OVERALL QUALITIES OF THAT INDIVIDUAL AND THE SORT OF THINGS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT JUST NOW, HAVING THOSE SORT OF ABILITIES. NOW YOU CAN GET THAT SORT OF PERSON FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND I DON'T, MYSELF, BELIEVE IT IS THE BACKGROUND THAT MATTERS, I BELIEVE IT IS THE QUALITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL THAT MATTERS.
QUESTION: SIR DAVID, I THINK YOU WOULD AGREE THAT THE ANNOUNCEMENT SOUNDS VERY SUDDEN TO MOST OF US, CONSIDERING THAT YOU WERE SAYING IT IS SO REASONABLE TO CHANGE AT AN EARLIER TIME, WHY THE SUDDENNESS? WHY DID THERE SEEM TO BE A CHANGE OF MIND? ONLY VERY RECENTLY THE PRIME MINISTER WAS SAYING THAT THERE'S NO VACANCY FOR THE GOVERNORSHIP OF HONG KONG. THE SUDDENNESS MAKES US FEEL THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME URGENCY; IS THERE ANY URGENT REASON WHY YOU MUST GO NOW?
SIR DAVID: I'M INTERESTED THAT YOU SAY IT ALL APPEARS SO SUDDEN BECAUSE AS I SIT IN MY CHAIR, AND AS I SIT AT MY DESK, I READ ENDLESS BITS OF NEWSPAPER SPECULATION AND INDEED TELEVISION SPECULATION, ABOUT 'IS THERE GOING TO BE A CHANGE OF THE GOVERNOR IN 1992?' SO FROM MY POINT
FIND THAT OF VIEW, IN THE SORT OF THINGS THAT I READ, I DON'T SUDDEN AT ALL. EVENTUALLY A DECISION HAS TO BE MADE: SHOULD THERE BE A CHANGE IN 1992 SOMETIME SOON AFTER I HAVE DONE MY FIRST FIVE YEARS IN OFFICE.
OF NOW WHEN THAT DECISION IS TAKEN, IT MAKES A GREAT DEAL SENSE, I BELIEVE, TO SAY 90, SO IT IS CLEAR. SO WE DON'T SIMPLY THE SPECULATION: 'WILL THE GOVERNOR BE CHANGING IN 1992' OR 'WON'T THE GOVERNOR BE CHANGING IN 1992'? THAT IS CLEAR, A DECISION HAS BBEN
THE GOVERNORSHIP WILL CHANGE IN 1992 AND WE CAN ALL WORK TAKEN, THAT BACKGROUND IN MIND.
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HAVE
WITH
/QUESTION: