10
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992
WISH
IT'S THE BASIC LAW ITSELF WHICH OF COURSE POINTS THE WAY TO THE REMOVAL OF APPOINTED MEMBERS FROM THIS COUNCIL AND TO COMPLETE ELECTION BY VARIOUS FORMULAE OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND I'M SURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WOULDN'T ME, IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, TO QUESTION THE BASIC LAW. WHAT WE TO DO THOUGH IS TO FIND WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN BRIDGE SOME OF THE GAPS THAT ARE LEFT, WHICH IS WHAT MY PROPOSALS WERE ATTEMPTING ΤΟ DO YESTERDAY.
HAVE
I DID MAKE THOSE REMARKS ABOUT HONG KONG PEOPLE
NOT BEING REGARDED AS HEROIC PAWNS BY OTHERS, THAT IS CERTAINLY MY VIEW AND IT'S A VIEW I WILL EXPRESS VIGOROUSLY TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. MY OWN JUDGMENT IS THAT THE PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD, AS I SAID EARLIER, REPRESENTED THE SORT OF CONSENSUS WHICH HAS BEEN EMERGING ABOUT FUTURE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG.
I ASSUME THAT NOBODY WOULD THINK THAT THEY COULD FRIGHTEN PEOPLE IN HONG KONG OUT OF REACHING THOSE SORT OF CONCLUSIONS. IF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE TO CHANGE THEIR MIND THEN I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE PROCESS EITHER
WAY, EITHER TO GO FASTER OR SLOWER, OF RATIONAL AND SENSIBLE DISCUSSION.
MRS SELINA CHOW:
STILL ON THE SUBJECT OF DEMOCRATIC REFORM, YOU SAID EARLIER THAT YOU WOULD ENDEAVOUR RIGOROUSLY TO PERSUADE CHINA THAT THE PROPOSALS YOU HAVE NOW PUT FORWARD ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE BASIC LAW SO THAT, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, CONVERGENCE COULD BE ACHIEVED. IN CASE YOU FAIL TO CONVINCE CHINA, DO YOU INTEND TO PUT THOSE PROPOSALS TO THIS COUNCIL WITHOUT ANY PROSPECT OF CONVERGENCE AND WOULD YOU CONDUCT A REFERENDUM TO LET THE HONG KONG PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY SO AS TO FACILITATE THIS COUNCIL TO BE GUIDED BY THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE?
IF
=
THE
GOVERNOR:
I HOPE THE COUNCIL WILL FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T ANSWER TOO MANY HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS, EVEN THOUGH THOSE HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS GO TO THE HEART OF WHAT MAY WELL BE THE CHOICES WHICH THE COUNCIL AND THE GOVERNOR HAVE TO MAKE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. FIRST ADVICE THAT 1 EVER HAD IN POLITICS WAS NOT то ANSWER HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS AND IT'S ADVICE THAT I'VE BEEN FOLLOW TO MY COST EVER SINCE. BUT I'D LIKE TO ANSWER THE MEMBER IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY, WHICH I HOPE MEETS AT CENTRAL POINT.
FAILING то HONOURABLE LEAST HER
LIKE,
THEN,
IF
WHEN I DISCUSS THESE ISSUES WITH THE COUNCIL, WHEN I'VE HAD A CHANCE OF HEARING THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHEN I'VE HAD A CHANCE OF DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES PROBABLY MORE THAN ONCE WITH OFFICIALS IN PEKING, I'LL HAVE TO REACH MY OWN CONCLUSION ABOUT WHAT IS A SENSIBLE WAY FORWARD. IT MAY BE THAT ONE OF THE ELEMENTS, ONE OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE DEBATE, WON'T BE ENTIRELY AS HAPPY AS ONE WOULD IN WHICH CASE, I WILL HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. AND SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, AND CERTAINLY IN MY VIEW BY NEXT SPRING, WE'RE ΤΟ HAVE ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE BY 1994 OR 95. HAVE TO COME TO THIS COUNCIL WITH MY PROPOSALS AND THIS COUNCIL ITSELF HAVE TO REACH A CONCLUSION ABOUT WHETHER THE GOVERNOR IS RIGHT, OR ABOUT WHETHER THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS SHOULD BE AMENDED. THAT IS THE REALITY. THAT IS WHERE THE DECISIONS WILL BE TAKEN. CAN GIVE A STRONG LEAD AS THE EXECUTIVE WHO LEADS THIS GOVERNMENT, BUT THIS COUNCIL IS WHERE LEGISLATION IS PASSED. SO, BEFORE ANYTHING FINAL IS DONE, IT WILL BE THIS COUNCIL WITH, I HOPE, MY ADVICE, THIS COUNCIL WHICH WILL MAKE THE DECISION, AND I HOPE THIS COUNCIL RECOGNISES THAT AND WELCOMES THE ROLE IT WILL PLAY AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE WHOLE
COMMUNITY.
I WILL WILL
/MR EDWARD