ON
THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1993
NO-ONE
SHOULD IMAGINE THAT THESE TALKS WILL BE
EASY.
THEY SUCCESS
WE
WILL NOT BE. FOR OUR PART, WE WILL TRY SINCERELY TO ACHIEVE IN 'THE TALKS, TO BRIDGE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH SIDES AND TO IDENTIFY THE COMMON GROUND, WHILE REMAINING TRUE ΤΟ THE BROAD UNDERTAKINGS WE HAVE GIVEN TO YOU AND TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. HAVE NOT TRAVELLED THIS FAR TO ABANDON THOSE UNDERTAKINGS EQUALLY, WE WILL ENTER THESE DISCUSSIONS TODAY, DETERMINED TO DO OUR BEST TO BRING THEM TO A SUCCESSFUL AND TO AN HONOURABLE CONCLUSION.
NOW, BUT
PRESIDENT: WITH THE FIRST PART FOR THE QUESTIONS ON THE SUBJECT MATTERS COVERED BY THE GOVERNOR IN HIS ADDRESS AND THE SECOND PART FOR QUESTIONS ON OTHER TOPICS. I WILL ASK FOR A SHOW OF HANDS BEFORE EACH QUESTION. A MEMBER MAY ASK A SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELUCIDATION BUT THE SUPPLEMENTARY SHOULD BE A SHORT SINGLE QUESTION. SHOW OF HANDS PLEASE.
MRS SELINA CHOW: SIR, YOU SAID JUST NOW THAT YOU WOULD LISTEN CLOSELY TO THE VIEWS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHILE THE TALKS ARE GOING ON. HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY PROPOSE TO DO THAT, WHAT SPECIFIC STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THE VIEWS THAT YOU WILL LISTEN TO ARE NOT SELECTED TO BACK UP A CERTAIN PARTICULAR CAUSE OF THINKING?
GOVERNOR: BY MEETING LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE AND IF THE HONOURABLE LADY AND ANY OF HER COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE TO COME AND SEE ME, I'D BE VERY HAPPY TO SEE THEM, JUST AS I HAVE SEEN OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER, I THINK, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER I SAY CONVENOR OR LEADER OF HIS GROUP, CAME TO SEE ME WITH SOME COLLEAGUES NOT VERY LONG AGO, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF MEETINGS AND I AM DELIGHTED TO MEET MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WHENEVER THEY WISH, WITHIN REASON.
MR MICHAEL HO (THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR PRESIDENT, I HOPE THAT THE GOVERNOR CAN TELL US THIS. HE KEEPS SAYING THAT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TALKS SHOULD BE OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT STEPS WILL THE ADMINISTRATION TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THE
FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE AND TODAY CAN YOU TELL US FURTHER WHAT STEPS IT WILL TAKE TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT TO USE A REFERENDUM AS A MEANS TO GAUGE PUBLIC OPINION TO SEE WHETHER IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO THEM?
GOVERNOR: THIS COUNCIL TOOK A VIEW ON THE USE OF REFERENDUMS YESTERDAY AND THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL I AM SURE KNOW, IN VIEW OF WHAT I'VE SAID CONSISTENTLY OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, THAT THE DECISION REACHED BY THE COUNCIL WAS NOT A DECISION WHICH I IN ANY WAY FOUND OBJECTIONABLE. I THINK THAT A REFERENDUM WOULD NOT BR APPROPRIATE IN PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND IN THE CONDITIONS THAT OBTAIN IN HONG KONG, I HAVE TO SAY THAT MY VIEWS ON REFERENDUMS HAVE BEEN MUCH THE SAME IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ON OTHER ISSUES IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION.
/50 FAR