24
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992
GOVERNOR:
CAN I JUST VERY POLITELY SUGGEST IF WE WANT ΤΟ GET THROUGH A LOT OF QUESTIONS, HOWEVER GOOD THE QUESTIONS PEOPLE HAVE MAY BE, THAT WE TRY TO MAKE THEM AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE. I DON'T AGREE, THOUGH I WILL BE VERY RESTRAINED IN MY LANGUAGE, WITH THE PREMISE OF YOUR QUESTION, NOR, I BELIEVE, WOULD THE PEOPLE OF COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA, ZIMBABWE, TANZANIA AND ELSEWHERE, WHERE WE LEFT DEMOCRACIES, DEMOCRACIES WHICH HAVE SURVIVED AND FLOURISHED, I THINK THEY MIGHT REGARD YOUR REMARKS AS BEING SLIGHTLY OFFENSIVE. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSALS THAT I'VE MADE WOULD IN ANY WAY WEAKEN THE GOVERNMENT. IS IT A WEAKER GOVERNMENT THAT COMES BEFORE A MEETING LIKE THIS THIS EVENING TO TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT IT'S DOING, I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE THAT WHERE GOVERNMENT IS ACCOUNTABLE, IT IS STRONGER PRECISELY BECAUSE IT HAS A STRONGER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT IT SERVES. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE MORE LIKLY, FOR EXAMPLE, то ENCOURAGE POLITICAL STABILITY BY PREVENTING PEOPLE EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS. I THINK YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE POLITICAL STABILITY IF PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS EVEN IF THEY ARE CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT.
YOU ASKED SECOND ABOUT EDUCATION AND OUR INCREASE IN EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION. AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH, THE GOVERNMENT IS ALREADY COMMITTED TO A CONSIDERABLE EXPANSION IN TERTIARY EDUCATION, BUT YOU ARE ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO IMPROVE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION.
ON
YOU ASKED, SECOND, ABOUT EDUCATION AND OUR INCREASE IN EXPENDITURE EDUCATION. AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH, THE GOVERNMENT IS ALREADY
BUT TO A CONSIDERABLE EXPANSION IN TERTIARY EDUCATION COMMITTED
YOU ARE ENTIRELY RIGHT TO SAY THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALSO IMPROVE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. WE'RE PROPOSING TO TRY TO DO THAT, FIRST OF ALL BY INCREASING THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS BY 2,200 OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. SECONDLY, BY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF TEACHER EDUCATION. ALL OF US KNOW THAT THE KEY TO A BETTER EDUCATION IS GOOD TEACHERS
THEM SEE AS POSSIBLE, AND TO HELP TEACHERS I WANT TO HAVING SMALLER CLASSES, BEGINNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS, AND MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR LESSONS.
QUESTION:
AS
MR GOVERNOR, HONG KONG IS A PLACE WHERE
THE
HAVE
GRAB
THE RULE OF LAW IS UPHELD AND THE EXECUTIVE AND THE JUDICIARY SHOULD BE SEPARATED. THEN MAY I ASK YOU, WHY IS A BLACK COURT ESTABLISHED BY THE EXECUTIVE AND THE SO CALLED PROPER APPEAL WAS CONDUCTED, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, AND LAWYERS AND APPELLANTS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HEARING? AND I WANT TO ASK SOMETHING ABOUT THE WALLED CITY.
IS IT A CHINESE TERRITORY OR A BRITISH TERRITORY? CHINESE AUTHORITIES HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE RESIDENTS SHOULD REASONABLE COMPENSATION, THEN WHY DO YOU USE YOUR POLICEMEN TO OUR PROPERTY FROM US? IF YOU SAY THIS IS CROWN LAND, WHY WAS NO SIGN SAYING SO? AND I AM VERY DOUBTFUL WHY THE AD HOC GROUP SO POWERFUL; TOGETHER WITH THE WELFARE ASSOCIATION IN THE WALLED THEY VIRTUALLY DID EVERYTHING THEY LIKED AND THE WHOLE THING WAS CONDUCTED
THE IN
BLACK COURT AND THE HEARING WAS
I SECRET. COMPLAINED TO EVERYONE, TO THE GOVERNOR, TO THE GOVERNMENT AND TO ELSIE TU WHO TOLD ME THAT THE HEARING WAS ALL POWERFUL AND THAT WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS HAD THE FINAL SAY.
THERE
WAS
CITY
MRS
/GOVERNOR: WELL