6
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1992
A FRIEND OF MINE WAS SAYING TO ME THE OTHER DAY THAT HE WAS ONCE STOPPED BY THE POLICE AND HE DIDN'T HAVE THE FAINTEST IDEA WHY THEY'D STOPPED HIM WHEN HE WAS DRIVING HOME AT NIGHT. AND HE PUT DOWN THE WINDOW AND THE POLICEMAN LOOKED IN AND HE SAID то THE POLICEMAN, "WHAT'S WRONG?", AND THE POLICEMAN SAID, "YOU MUST KNOW, WE STOPPED YOU.
AND THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG FEELS, OCCASIONALLY, A BIT LIKE THAT. HE PUTS FORWARD PROPOSALS ON FINANCING AIRPORTS, ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, AND ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE SAY, "THAT'S NO GOOD, YOU CAN'T DO THAT." AND THE GOVERNOR, WHO'S A VERY INNOCENT, GENIAL FELLOW, SAYS, "WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?", AND THEY SAY, "YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOU'VE GONE WRONG. GO AWAY AND COME BACK WITH SOMETHING ELSE," THAT'S NO WAY TO CO-OPERATE, THAT'S NO WAY ΤΟ DEMONSTRATE WHAT'S THE PHRASE? PUBLIC SINCERITY. WE'VE
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ACTUALLY
GOT, IF WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SERIOUS DIALOGUE ABOUT HONG KONG'S
FUTURE, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES.
IN GOOD FAITH, I TRIED TO FIND WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A POINT OF BALANCE IN THE COMMUNITY. NOT GOING NEARLY AS FAR AS SOME WANTED, GOING MAYBE A LITTLE FURTHER THAN SOME OTHERS WANTED, BUT IF I'VE GOT IT WRONG, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE WRONG.
PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT FORWARD AN ALTERNATIVE AND MAYBE, MAYBE THE NEXT STEP, IS THAT PEOPLE WILL PUT FORWARD AN ALTERNATIVE
"
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OR MAYBE NOT.
QUESTION:
GOVERNOR, THE PRESS HERE HAS DESCRIBED YOUR STYLE AS QUITE DIFFERENT THAN YOUR PREDECESSOR. WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL US HOW YOUR STYLE AND YOUR APPROACH MIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT ON YOUR TERM HERE AS GOVERNOR, AND IN PARTICULAR ON THE RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHINA?
GOVERNOR:
I DON'T THINK ONE SHOULD PERSONALISE THESE THINGS TOO MUCH. I'VE BEEN LONG ENOUGH IN POLITICS, AND I'VE LOST ENOUGH ELECTIONS, ΤΟ KNOW THAT ONE SHOULDN'T PUT тоо MUCH EMPHASIS ON INDIVIDUALS OR ON STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE. BUT MAYBE SOMETIMES STYLE AND SUBSTANCE SORT OF COME TOGETHER AND INFUSE ONE ANOTHER, AND I THINK CONCEIVABLY THAT'S TRUE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT LIES AT THE HEART OF A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT, THAT IS,
THE NOTION OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT I HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT I AM ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. AND ONE REASON WHY I HAVE TO DO THAT PARTICULARLY STRONGLY, IS THAT I HAVE NO DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY OF MY OWN. I WAS APPOINTED, I WASN'T ELECTED. I DEAL WITH POLITICIANS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHO WERE ELECTED. I DEAL WITH POLITICIANS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHO ARE THERE BECAUSE OF YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE. SO I HAVE TO ESTABLISH MY OWN MORAL AUTHORITY AND LEGITIMACY AS WELL, AND I THINK I CAN ONLY DO THAT BY SHOWING THAT I'M ACCOUNTABLE; AND THAT MAY HAVE AN AFFECT ON MY STYLE.
THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT, ARGUABLY, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR GOVERNMENT, AFTER 1997, WILL HAVE GREATER DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY THAN ME. BUT I HOPE THAT WON'T MEAN THAT НЕ DOESN'T, OR SHE DOESN'T, FEEL THE NECESSITY OF DEMONSTRATING ACCOUNTABILITY
COUNCIL BOTH ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE LEGISLATIVE
AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PUBLIC. AND ALL THOSE THINGS ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHETHER YOU WEAR A COLONIAL HAT WITH FEATHERS ON THR TOP OR DO SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN TRADITIONAL FOR GOVERNORS OF THIS DEPENDENT TERRITORY AND OTHERS. AT ROOT, I AM A POLITICIAN, AND THAT'S A VERY VULGAR THING, AS YOU KNOW. BELIEVE THAT POLITICS, AS JOHN BUCHAN SAID, IS AN ADVENTURE.
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THOUGH I HONOURABLE
/QUESTION: MR