ليمية
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1993
GOVERNOR: I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN REPEAT ANY MORE FIRMLY MY STRONG VIEW THAT A THROUGH TRAIN IS ESSENTIAL. IF WE'RE TO HAVE ANY SORT OF MEANINGFUL CONVERGENCE. FRANKLY, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH NOT SECURING A "THROUGH TRAIN" ALSO NEED ΤΟ BE ADDRESSED. WHAT ARE CANDIDATES TO SAY WITHOUT SOME AGREEMENT ON A "THROUGH TRAIN" WHEN THEY'RE CAMPAIGNING IN 1995? ARE THEY TO SAY, VOTE FOR ME AND I'LL EITHER BE THERE FOR TWO YEARS OR I'LL BE THERE FOR FOUR BUT MAYBE YOU'D BETTER ASK THE NCNA IN 1996/97 WHETHER IT'S TO BE TWO YEARS OR FOUR. IT DOESN'T SEEMS TO ME THAT IT'S EXACTLY A RALLYING CRY AS ONE GOES FROM DOOR TO DOOR OR GOES CANVASSING ROUND THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY. EQUALLY I HAVE NEVER BELIEVED THAT AS IT'S FIRST ACT OF SOVEREIGNTY CHINA WOULD ACTUALLY WANT ΤΟ THROW LEGISLATORS OUT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AFTER THEY HAD BEEN DIRECTLY ELECTED. SO I THINK THAT SOME OF THE PRACTICAL PROBLEMS AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NEED TO BE LOOKED AT. I THINK WE NEED TO APPLY A BIT OF COMMON SENSE TO THE ISSUE AND ASK OURSELVES WHETHER IF WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG THERE SHOULD REALLY BE ANY ARGUMENT ABOUT THIS ISSUE AT ALL.
MR MICHAEL HO: MR PRESIDENT, THE GOVERNOR WAS REPEATING TO US THE "THROUGH TRAIN" CONCEPT, AND THE GOVERNOR, IN FACT, HAS PUBLICLY SAID THAT THE BASIC LAW ARTICLE 104 HAS ALREADY SET OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR THE "THROUGH TRAIN", THAT IS, LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS NEED ONLY PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAR AND ALSO UP HOLD THE BASIC LAW, AND THOSE WILL BR THE CRITERIA; SO MR GOVERNOR, HOW WILL YOU, IN RELATION TO FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS OR TALKS, THAT THE TEAM WILL HOLD ON TO SUCH VIEWS, AND WILL THEN WILL YOU BE ARRIVING AT AN AGREEMENT WITH CHINA ON CRITERIA FOR "THROUGH TRAIN" AND WILL WHAT LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS SAID PREVIOUSLY OR DID PREVIOUSLY BE FACTORS TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT?
/GOVERNOR