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THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1993
ARE
TAKING ΤΟ SEE A TO SEE A
GOVERNOR: LET ME STRESS ONCE AGAIN AT THE OUTSET THAT WE PART IN THESE NEGOTIATIONS IN GOOD FAITH. I WOULD LIKE SATISFACTORY OUTCOME, JUST AS THE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE SATISFACTORY OUTCOME. I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT IT WOULD BE WORSE FOR HONG HONG TO HAVE AN OUTCOME, AN AGREEMENT IN THE TALKS, WHICH PRODUCED ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WEREN'T OPEN AND FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE THAN TO HAVE NO AGREEMENT AT ALL. I THINK IT WILL BE SAD IF WE CAN'T REACH AN AGREEMENT BUT HONG KONG WILL SURVIVE AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE DECENT AND REASONABLE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE A SENSIBLE INCOMING SOVEREIGN POWER WOULD WISH TO CHANGE. BUT I REPEAT, I REPEAT VERY CLEARLY, I WOULD LIKE ABOVE ALL TO SEE AN AGREEMENT. NOW THE HONOURABLE MEMBER ASKS ME PERFECTLY REASONABLY WHAT DO I MEAN BY OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE. ARE THERE OTHER WAYS OF ARRANGING THINGS IN 1994/95 OTHER THAN THE PROPOSALS I PUT FORWARD WHICH WOULD BE OPEN, FAIR AND ACCEPTABLE AND I HAVE TO SAY HAND ON HEART THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN SECURE THAT OBJECTIVE. WHAT WE'RE NOT PREPARED TO DO IS TO THROW AWAY THE PRINCIPLES EVEN IF WE'RE PREPARED IN A GENEROUS SPIRITED WAY TO LOOK AT WAYS
OF ACCOMPLISHING THOSE PRINCIPLES. I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE REACH AN AGREEMENT, IT WILL BE PERFECTLY CLEAR WHETHER OUR ARRANGEMENTS MEET THE CRITERIA WHICH I'VE SET. YOU CAN'T TELL WHEN THERE'S A LOT OF RUSTLING IN THE SHRUBBERY WHETHER THERE'S A PANDA OR A BIG BEAR BEHIND THE BUSHES, BUT YOU SURE ENOUGH KNOW WHEN THEY EMERGE INTO THE DAYLIGHT WHICH IS WHICH. AND I THINK AT THE END OF THESE NEGOTIATIONS PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHETHER THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING, WHICH WILL BE WIDELY DEBATED HERE, WHICH WILL BE WIDELY DEBATED IN THE COMMUNITY, MEET THE CRITERIA FOR WHICH THIS COUNCIL HAS VOTED ON I THINK A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS. WE WILL HAVE TO PUT PROPOSALS TO THIS COUNCIL BECAUSE THIS COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO VOTE THROUGH THE LEGISLATION AND I DON'T WISH TO BE IN THE SAME POSITION THAT WE FOUND OURSELVES IN A YEAR OR SO AGO, PRE-PATTEN, ON THE COURT OF FINAL APPEAL. I DON'T WANT TO FIND OURSELVES IN A POSITION IN WHICH THIS COUNCIL IS AT ODDS WITH US ON WHATEVER COMES OUT OF NEGOTIATIONS, SO I WOULDN'T WISH TO RECOMMEND TO THIS COUNCIL PROPOSALS WHICH I DIDN'T THINK THIS COUNCIL WOULD FIND ACCEPTABLE.
MR LEE WING-TAT: A SHORT FOLLOW-UP. THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKE ΤΟ ASK MR GOVERNOR THIS: YOU STRESS THAT LEGCO IS GOING TO EXAMINE THE RESULTS OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS AND SO THIS IS ONE WAY TO ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE PUBLIC OPINION FEEDBACK BUT MR GOVERNOR I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT NOT ALL MEMBERS SITTING ON THE COUNCIL ARE DIRECTLY ELECTED AND SO APART FROM TABLING THE BILL AT LEGCO, WHAT OTHER MEANS DO YOU HAVE TO ENSURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT IS THE PUBLIC OPINION ON THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS RESULTS?
/GOVERNOR