11
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1992
I'M QUITE SURPRISED THAT THERE'S BEEN SOME CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE IDEA THAT I SHOULD HOLD QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS LIKE THIS. AFTER ALL, THE SPEECH THAT I MADE ON WEDNESDAY WAS CONCERNED WITH YOUR FUTURE, THE FUTURE OF YOUR FAMILIES AND THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND I THINK YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO QUESTION ME ABOUT MY PROPOSALS, BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FUTURE. IT'S ALSO SOMETIMES SAID THAT FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT, OR FOR OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT, TO COME OUT IN PUBLIC AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR POLICIES SOMEHOW WEAKENS THE GOVERNMENT. I THINK THAT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE TRUTH. I THINK THAT IF YOU KNOW, AS A POLITICAL LEADER, THAT YOU ARE GOING TO GO OUT AND HAVE TO EXPLAIN AND DEFEND YOUR POLICIES TO THE PUBLIC IT MAKES YOU THINK AN AWFUL LOT HARDER ABOUT THE POLICIES THAT YOU BRING FORWARD. YOUR DISTINGUISHED LEGISLATORS IN SHA TIN, EMILY LAU AND ANDREW WONG, ALLOW YOU TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS AND I THINK THE GOVERNOR SHOULD ALLOW YOU TO ASK HIM QUESTIONS TOO,
THE SECOND THING I'D LIKE TO SAY VERY BRIEFLY IS THAT, WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO IN MY SPEECH ON WEDNESDAY WAS TO RESPOND TO THE THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN SAYING TO ME, WHICH POLITICAL GROUPS HAVE BEEN SAYING TO ME, WHICH COMMUNITY LEADERS HAVE BEEN SAYING TO ME OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
FIRST OF ALL I THINK YOU WANT US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE POLICIES WHICH HAVE MADE HONG KONG SO SUCCESSFUL ECONOMICALLY. HAVE TO REMAIN THE MOST BUSINESS-FRIENDLY PLACE IN ASIA. WE HAVE GO ON ENSURING THAT WE KEEP TAXES VERY LOW,
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I THINK THAT YOU WANT US, WITHOUT BEING EXTRAVAGANT, TO FAIR AS POSSIBLE IN OUR SOCIAL POLICIES. I THINK YOU WANT US, WITHOUT ALLOWING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE TO GET OUT OF CONTROL, TO SPEND WHAT WE CAN AFFORD ON HELPING THE ELDERLY, ON HELPING THE NEEDY, ON HELPING THE DISABLED, ON IMPROVING OUR EDUCATION AND OUR RE-TRAINING.
NEXT, IN MY JUDGEMENT, YOU WANT US TO EXTEND DEMOCRACY, YOU WANT US TO DO SO IN A WAY WHICH IS LIKELY TO LAST, AND THE JUDGEMENT THAT I REACHED WAS THAT YOU WANTED ME TO LOOK FOR WAYS IN WHICH WE COULD EXTEND DEMOCRACY IN A WAY THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW. AND ABOVE ALL, I THINK YOU WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO DO ALL IN ITS POWER ΤΟ SECURE YOUR WAY OF LIFE FOR THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, A GOOD PLACE TO WORK, A GOOD PLACE TO BRING UP A FAMILY AND YOU WANT TO KEEP IT LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S WHAT I TRIED TO SET OUT ON WEDNESDAY AND THAT'S WHAT YOU CAN NOW ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT; BUT CAN I JUST BEFORE THE FIRST QUESTION CAN I JUST FOLLOW SOMETHING THAT MICHAEL SAID EARLIER. LAST NIGHT WE HAD THE FIRST OF THESE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS IN THE CITY HALL IN CENTRAL AND, IN MANY RESPECTS, IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. ABOUT 30 QUESTIONS WERE ASKED, BUT ABOUT 30 QUESTIONS WERE ASKED BY ONLY 11 PEOPLE. NOW, IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER FOR ME IF ONE PERSON ASKS A VERY LONG QUESTION OR A LOT OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN A POLITICIAN FOR A LONG TIME, AND THE LONGER YOU GIVE ME TO THINK OF THE ANSWER.
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/QUESTION: MR