FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1993
GOVERNOR:
THERE WAS ONE LAST POINT WHICH I AM VERY ANXIOUS TO RESPOND TO BUT I WAS SO TAKEN WITH MY METAPHOR ABOUT CLOCKS THAT I WENT ON FOR LONGER THAN THE CLOCK SHOULD HAVE ALLOWED. THE PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD IN OCTOBER PROPOSALS WHICH HAVE
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BEEN DEBATED IN THIS COUNCIL, PROPOSALS WHICH ON AT LEAST TWO OCCASIONS RECEIVED THE BROAD ENDORSEMENT OF THIS COUNCIL, PROPOSALS WHICH WERE ENDORSED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IN EARLY FEBRUARY, THOSE PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN AND ARE ON THE TABLE. I HOPE THAT IF THERE ARE TALKS WE WILL LEARN WHAT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE TO PUT ON THE TABLE, I THINK THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THAT.
DR YEUNG SUM (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. COULD I ASK THE GOVERNOR THIS: NOW THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS REPEATEDLY STATED THAT ONCE THE 94/95 ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN AGREED ΤΟ, THEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE THAT THEY BE IMPLEMENTED. NOW, WOULD YOU AGREE TO THIS PRE-CONDITION AND HOW COULD YOU, DURING THE PROCESS, MAKE SURE THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DOES PLAY A POSITIVE ROLE AND CAN INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME? OTHERWISE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL BECOME
A RUBBER STAMP.
THE GOVERNOR:
THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE IN LONDON YESTERDAY MADE A STATEMENT IN WHICH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THEY MADE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR, IN RESPONSE TO SOME NEWSPAPER STORIES, THAT THERE WAS NO QUESTION OF THE GOVERNOR OR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BEING CUT OUT OF DECISIONS ABOUT THE WAY HONG KONG IS GOVERNED. THEY MADE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS BEEN AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE FULLY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY ON THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG. AND THEY REFERRED, IN TERMS SIMILAR TO THOSE USED BY THE HONOURABLE MEMBER ON MY LEFT IN PEKING EARLIER THIS WEEK, TO THE LEGISLATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. CLEARLY, IF THERE ARE TALKS, WHICH WE HOPE TAKE PLACE, WE MUST ENTER THEM IN A POSITIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE SPIRIT, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT TALKS WOULD LEAD TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION. I FIND IT INCONCEIVABLE TO IMAGINE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH WE THOUGHT THAT A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE PROPLE OF HONG KONG. SATISFACTORY CONCLUSIONS WHICH AREN'T ACCEPTABLE IN HONG KONG WOULD SEEM TO ME NOT TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO ANYONE BECAUSE BOTH THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWER MUST PRESUMABLY BR CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC SUPPORT IN HONG KONG FOR OUR GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS. 30 1 HOPE THAT IF THERE ARE TALKS THEY LEAD TO POSITIVE CONCLUSIONS, AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THOSE POSITIVE CONCLUSIONS WOULD BE ENDORSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, BUT I REPEAT, I CAN'T IMAGINE PUTTING FORWARD PROPOSALS A'T THE END OF DISCUSSTONS WHICH 1 DIDN'T BELIEVE AND WHICH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DIDN'T BELIEVE, WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE.
DR YBUNG SUM:
PLEASE, BECAUSE I'M ASKING
THE PRESIDENT:
THE GOVERNOR:
DR YEUNG SUM:
SORRY, CAN I
HAVE A FOLLOW-UP
I THINK TIME IS RUNNING SHORT.
WELL, WAS THERE A POINT I MISSED?
BECOMING A RUBBER STAMP.
AM TALKING ABOUT HOW TO PREVENT LEGCO
/THE GOVERNOR: