7
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992
THIRD MY THIRD POINT ON THE AIRPORT
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MY LAST, AT LEAST TODAY MY LAST UNTIL THE NEXT SOUND-BITE. I'VE ONLY GOT ONE AIM, THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG ONLY HAS ONE AIM, AND THAT IS TO BUILD THE BEST POSSIBLE AIRPORT FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE. NO OTHER AIM A VERY GOOD TRACK-RECORD WHICH SHOWS WE'VE DONE IT BEFORE BUT NO OTHER SET OF OBJECTIVES. SO IF ANYBODY WAS SAYING TO US, "YOU CAN GET A BETTER AIRPORT FOR A LOWER PRICE IN THIS WAY OR THAT", IT WOULD BE PERVERSE OF US TO TURN THEM DOWN. BUT ALAS, I DON'T HEAR THAT BEING SAID. IF IT IS SAID, WE WILL LISTEN. WE'LL BE FLEXIBLE AND SENSIBLE AND CONSTRUCTIVE AND PATIENT AND COURTEOUS I'LL GO ON THROUGH ROGET'S THESAURUS. MY BOTTOM-LINE IS TO GET AN AIRPORT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AT THE BEST PRICE, WITH ALL ITS ASSOCIATED PROJECTS. AND THAT, I REPEAT, IS THE TOTALITY OF MY POSITION ON THAT EVER- INTERESTING TOPIC.
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THREE OTHER POINTS WHICH I WILL MAKE BRIEFLY. THREE OTHER PRINCIPLES WHICH I BELIEVE WE MUST STICK TO. FIRST, AND IT'S A POINT THAT I'VE MADE ONCE OR TWICE ALREADY AND I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE REGARDED AS VERY SURPRISING: THE RULE OF LAW, A GOOD HONEST PUBLIC SERVICE, AND A VIGOROUS AND RIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST CORRUPTION, ARE ALL ESSENTIAL TO HONG KONG'S CONTINUING PROSPERITY. INVESTORS WANT. TO BE CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE ON A LEVEL PLAYING-FIELD, THEY WANT TO BE CONFIDENT THAT EVERYONE IS PLAYING BY THE SAME RULES, THEY WANT TO BE CONFIDENT TO REPEAT A POINT I'VE JUST MADE - THAT CORRUPTION WILL BE HUNTED-OUT WHEREVER IT HAPPENS. THAT WILL CONTINUE ΤΟ BE WHAT HAPPENS IN HONG KONG, AND WE SHALL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GUARANTEE THAT IT CONTINUES TO BE THE POSITION IN HONG KONG FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
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FOUR, AGAIN A POINT THAT I SHALL CONTINUE TO MAKE: WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT OUR STABILITY AND OUR PROSPERITY HELP TO SUSTAIN OUR WAY OF LIFE, SO IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT OUR WAY OF LIFE HELPS US TO SUSTAIN OUR STABILITY AND OUR PROSPERITY. WHAT WAY OF LIFE? A COMMITMENT ΤΟ THE THINGS I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. A COMMITMENT ΤΟ FREE-MARKET ECONOMICS, A COMMITMENT TO AN OPEN SOCIETY, A COMMITMENT TO THE RULE OF LAW, A COMMITMENT TO A FREE PRESS - EVEN WHEN THEY COURTEOUSLY FOLLOW THE GOVERNOR INTO DEPARTMENT STORES. THE GOVERNOR THINKS THAT THE MORE HE GOES INTO DEPARTMENT STORES, THE LESS THEY'LL HAVE TO FOLLOW HIM INTO THEM. A COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM OF WORSHIP, FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, AND A COMMITMENT ΤΟ INCREASED PARTICIPATION BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG IN THE GOVERNMENT OF THEIR OWN COMMUNITY. HOW DO WE DO THAT IN A WAY WHICH IS SENSIBLE? HOW DO WE DEVELOP THAT PROCESS IN A WAY WHICH IS MATURE AND SUSTAINABLE? WHAT WILL MAKE THAT INCREASED PARTICIPATION SUSTAINABLE? PEOPLE TALK QUITE PROPERLY, ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR BEING A SMOOTH TRANSITION THROUGH 1997, AND OF COURSE THAT'S RIGHT, NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND COULD WANT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A SMOOTH TRANSITION.
WE DON'T WANT TO FIND IN 1997 THAT WE'RE HAVING TO CHANGE FROM ONE GAUGE то ANOTHER. WE DON'T WANT TO FIND THE LIGHTS ARE SET AT WANT TO SEE A SMOOTH TRANSITION.
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RED.
WE
/LET ME