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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1992
I'M SURE THAT THE PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD IN THE FUTURE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, I'M SURE THAT THOSE PROPOSALS WILL BE PROPERLY DEBATED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AS THEY SHOULD BE, THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL DEBATE AND THEN DECIDE. THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN A COMMUNITY LIKE THIS; THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS I.N A COMMUNITY WHERE THE EXECUTIVE HAS ΤΟ BE ACCOUNTABLE ΤΟ THE LEGISLATURE.
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HE'S
1997
AND
THE
OF
QUESTION (AFP): GOVERNOR, REGARDING FRANK CHING'S QUESTION JUST NOW, YOU STILL HAVEN'T ANSWERED IT. YOU SAY YOU'RE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN HISTORY BUT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG 1
KONG, IN 1997 THEY'LL HAVE TO FACE UP TO REALITY AND MR LU PING HAS SAID THAT GOING TO OVERHAUL THE WHOLE PROCEDURE AND ARRANGEMENTS IN STICK ΤΟ THE BASIC LAW. SO WHAT KIND OF COST DO YOU THINK COST THAT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR YOUR FASTER SPEED DEMOCRATISATION
DO YOU THINK THIS IS WORTH THE PRICE PAYING FOR WHAT HAPPENS AFTER 1997? AND AGAIN, WHY DO THE BRITISH COME OUT WITH FRESH SUGGESTIONS FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS BEFORE THE HANDOVER? WHY NOT EARLIER, EVEN IN 1990 WHEN THE BASIC LAW WAS BEING DISCUSSED? THANK YOU.
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GOVERNOR :
BUT I'VE JUST DESCRIBED TO YOU THAT I HAD TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR 1995 BECAUSE THE ARRANGEMENTS AREN'T IN PLACE. I REMAIN WHOLLY CONVINCED THAT IF WE INTRODUCE ARRANGEMENTS IN 1995 WHICH WORK AND WORK SUCCESSFULLY FOR HONG KONG, THEN THEY WILL SURVIVE BEYOND 1997. I SAID THAT AT INORDINATE LENGTH YESTERDAY, IN AN INORDINATELY LONG INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN WALDEN, DURING WHICH HE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION AN INORDINATELY LARGE NUMBER OF TIMES, AND IT REPRESENTS MY STRONGLY HELD VIEW OTHERWISE I'LL GET IN TROUBLE.
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QUESTION:
MR PATTEN, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'VE ACTUALLY ANSWERED MR CHING'S QUESTION. WHY DID YOU NOT? WHY WEREN'T THESE PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD IN 1990? SURELY, IT'S A BIT LATE NOW AND THERE CLEARLY IS A SORT OF DIFFERENCE OF INTERPRETATION BETWEEN THE BRITISH THAT THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING AND WHAT CHINA THINKS. WHY WEREN'T THESE PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD EARLIER IF BRITAIN WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THEM?
GOVERNOR:
YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL. YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT ONE OF THE PROPOSALS WHICH I'VE SUGGESTED AN ALTERNATIVE FOR, WAS PUT FORWARD VERY VIGOROUSLY IN 1990, WHAT WAS THE ARGUMENT ABOUT IN 1990? THE ARGUMENT WAS ABOUT WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION AND WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE MORE DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AFTER 1995. THAT, BOTH DURING THOSE DISCUSSIONS AND AFTERWARDS, WAS STATED ON THE RECORD AS BEING THE POSITION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT. NOW, BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT CHINA WOULDN'T MOVE ON THE QUESTION OF THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS, BECAUSE WE WERE TOLD THAT CHINA WOULDN'T MOVE ON ANYTHING WHICH INVOLVED CHANGING THE BASIC LAW, I PROPOSED AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH, I PROPOSED A PARALLEL APPROACH. A VERY SENSIBLE APPROACH.
I THINK IT'S
/IF YOU