26
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992
FIRST
AS
OF ALL, DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS. YOU KNOW, AS I TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL YESTERDAY, WHEN THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY SAW HIS CHINESE COLLEAGUE AND OPPOSITE NUMBER IN NEW YORK TWO WEEKS AGO TOMORROW, HE RAISED WITH HIM THE QUESTION OF THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1995. HE PRESSED HIM TO ACCEPT AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS, ARGUING THAT 1F CHINA WAS TO ACCEPT THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR HONG KONG AND REDOUND GREATLY ΤΟ CHINA'S CREDIT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER REPLIED, IN I THINK TERMS WITH WHICH THE COMMUNITY IS FAMILIAR, THAT CHINA DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD BE SENSIBLE AND THAT IT WOULD CONTRAVENE THE BASIC LAW AND WAS THEREFORE NOT ACCEPTED. I SAID IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL YESTERDAY, THAT IF CHINA WOULD NOT ACCEPT AN INCREASE IN
THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS BECAUSE IT WOULD CONTRAVENE THE BASIC LAW, THEN WE COULD AND SHOULD LOOK AT AN ALTERNATIVE APPOACH. THAT IS, WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD INCREASE DEMOCRACY IN LINE WITH THE BASIC LAW, AND THAT WAS THE BASIS, THE FOUNDATION, OF THE PROPOSALS WHICH 1 SET OUT YESTERDAY.
THEY ARE PROPOSALS; THEY'RE PROPOSALS ΤΟ DISCUSS WITH CHINA, THEY'RE PROPOSALS THAT I WILL DISCUSS, AS WELL, WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE COMMUNITY. AND WHAT I SAY ABOUT THOSE PROPOSALS IS SIMPLY THIS: IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST ΤΟ CRITICISE THEM, IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO HURL ABUSE AT THEM.
IF PEOPLE HAVE CRITICISMS THEY SHOULD SAY WHAT THEIR ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS ARE.
AND
CAN I JUST ANSWER THE OTHER TWO QUESTIONS, I'LL BE VERY BRIEF. FIRST OF ALL, WE ALL KNOW THAT ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR HIGH PROPERTY PRICES IN HONG KONG IS THAT WE'RE SHORT OF LAND AND WE HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF HOUSING TO PROVIDE, AND THAT AS ECONOMISTS WOULD TELL YOU, PRODUCES THE PRESSURES WHICH LEAD ΤΟ HIGHER PRICES. ONE REASON WHY I'M KEEN THAT WE SHOULD GET AHEAD WITH BUILDING THE NEW AIRPORT IS THAT IT WOULD PRODUCE A GREAT DEAL MORE LAND WHICH WOULD HELP US WITH SOME OF OUR SOCIAL NEEDS. I ALSO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT ΤΟ HELP MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE PARTICULARLY HARD HIT BY HIGH LAND PRICES AND THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT FORWARD PROPOSALS YESTERDAY TO ASSIST THE SO CALLED SANDWICH CLASS WITH THEIR HOUSING PROBLEMS.
LASTLY, YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THE MATERIAL WHICH I KNOW CAUSES PEOPLE GREAT OFFENCE WHEN THEY SEE IT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY IN SHOPS AND SO ON WHERE THERE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AND WIVES AND LOVED ONES CAN GO IN AND SEE IT. I DO HOPE THAT RETAILERS WILL BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE ON PUBLIC DISPLAY. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US ARE PRUDES BUT ALL OF US THINK THAT THERE IS SOME MATERIAL WHICH IS OFFENSIVE AND IS BETTER KEPT OUT OF THE WAY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
QUESTION :
THANK YOU MR GOVERNOR, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS. THE FIRST IS ON LABOUR. IN HONG KONG WE HAVE 50,000 PEOPLE UNEMPLOYED AND 100,000 UNDER-EMPLOYED. IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH AND WHEN YOU ANSWERED LEGCO MEMBERS' QUESTIONS THIS AFTERNOON, YOU RELIED ON THE IMPORTATION OF LABOUR AND THE PRODUCTION LINE RELOCATED TO SOUTH CHINA TO SUSTAIN THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF HONG KONG, AND YOU PROMISED TO SPEND $0.3 BILLION TO RE-TRAIN 15,000 DISPLACED WORKERS, SO WHERE WOULD THE REST GO? AND ESPECIALLY THAT THE WORKERS IN HONG KONG, THEY DO NOT HAVE RETIREMENT BENEFITS AND THEY DO NOT HAVE UNEMPLOYMENT PROTECTION.
/AND THE