7
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1992
QUESTION:
SIR, THIS IS FURTHER TO AN OPEN LETTER IN MAY WHICH I ADDRESSED TO YOU BUT WHICH THE LOCAL, ALLEGEDLY FREE PRESS, REFUSED TO PUBLISH, BUT SINCE ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE, PLEASE PERMIT ME TO READ OUT THE QUESTION.
"WOULD YOUR EXCELLENCY BE PLEASED то FAVOURABLY CONSIDER ENACTING APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG WOULD NOT BE USED AS A PROPAGANDA BASE ΤΟ CHANGE OR OTHERWISE UNDERMINE THE SOCIALIST SYSTEM IN THE PRC,
THE CONTINUED MAINTENANCE OF WHICH IS THE CORNERSTONE OF THE 'ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS' CONCEPT EMBODIED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION?**
GOVERNOR:
**
THANK YOU. MY STRONG CONVICTION IS THAT, то QUOTE EDMUND BURKE, "LIBERTY MUST BE LIMITED IN ORDER TO BE POSSESSED", AND THAT ONE OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ALL OF US HAVE IN A FREE SOCIETY WHERE THERE IS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, AND FREEDOM TO DEMONSTRATE, FREEDOM TO PUT OUR VIEWS AS VIGOROUSLY AS POSSIBLE, IS TO EXERCISE THOSE FREEDOMS IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY. "ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS' MEANS WHAT IT SAYS. IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, HONG KONG HAS BEEN GUARANTEED ITS LIBERTIES AND ITS WAY OF LIFE. I THINK WE SHOULD STAND ON THAT, AND SPEAKING FOR MYSELF AS LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT THE COMMUNITY, I WILL ALWAYS EXERCISE RESTRAINT ABOUT THE OTHER SYSTEM WHICH IS DESCRIBED IN THAT HISTORIC CONCEPT. I DON'T SEEK TO LECTURE OTHERS BUT I THINK THAT IT'S QUITE WISE ADVICE FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW AS WELL. BUT THAT SAID, I REPEAT, WE LIVE IN A FREE SOCIETY WHICH BRINGS OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL AS RESPONSIBILITIES.
QUESTION:
OF
GOVERNOR, IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT YOU HAVE REMARKED THAT IF THE WORST COMES TO THE WORST YOU WOULD LEAVE ON THE 'LADY MAUREEN' BY THE TIME OF 1997. I'M VERY GLAD TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING ΤΟ GET A DIFFERENT TREATMENT FROM MOST OF THE OTHERS IN HONG KONG WHO HAVE GOT TO REMAIN HERE, BUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY COULD NOT EVEN LEAVE THE PLACE BY BICYCLE? AND IS YOUR PROPOSAL GOING TO HEAD FOR A CONFRONTATION OR ARE YOU GOING TO BACK DOWN WHEN CHINA OBJECTS? AS FAR AS THE EFFECT ON CHINA, YOU SEEM TO BE SAYING THAT YOU MIGHT CHANGE WHEN YOU MEET THE CHINESE OFFICIALS ON THE MAINLAND, BUT IN THAT CASE WHY ARE YOU MAKING THE PROPOSALS? THIS IS YOUR FORMAL REPORT AND I THINK IT'S GOT TO BE A RESPONSIBLE REPORT.
GOVERNOR:
TWO QUESTIONS, I THINK, THERE. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO AND WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY AFTER I'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS IN PEKING? SECONDLY, WHAT DO I THINK OF THE FUTURE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AFTER 1997?
I MUST SAY THAT I HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE FOR PEOPLE IN HONG KONG. I THINK THAT THIS IS AN ASTONISHINGLY SUCCESSFUL AND RESILIENT COMMUNITY AND IT'S PARTLY SUCCESSFUL, LARGELY SUCCESSFUL, BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT ITS WAY OF LIFE AND ITS PROSPERITY AND STABILITY ARE INTERTWINED, AND IT'S MY CONCERN AND MY ENTHUSIASM TO ENSURE THAT THAT CONTINUES ΤΟ BE THE CASE.
/ON YOUR