FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1993
7
GOVERNOR:
WHICH
WELL, I'VE SAID BEFORE, AND I THINK IT'S A POINT HAS BEEN BOTH IMPLICITLY AND EXPLICITLY RECOGNISED BY MR QIAN QICHEN AND OTHER CHINESE OFFICIALS, THAT IF WE CAN'T GET AN AGREEMENT, WE WILL HAVE TO DISCHARGE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE 1997 IN AS EFFICIENT AND COMPETENT AND FAIR A FASHION AS POSSIBLE. AGAIN, A STATEMENT WHICH ISN'T PROVOCATIVE BUT WHICH IS OBVIOUS, AND I THINK IS RECOGNISED BY THE CHINESE. BUT WE WOULDN'T HAVE SPENT 80 HOURS IN, I HOPE, HARMONIOUS DIALOGUE WITH MR JIANG ENZHU AND OTHERS, IF WE HADN'T BEEN VERY KEEN ON ARRIVING AT A SETTLEMENT, IF ONE IS TO BE POSSIBLE.
QUESTION:
I KNOW YOU HATE TO TALK ABOUT THAT NOW BUT YOU SAID THAT YOU WILL SOONER OR LATER TABLE THE BILL OF THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS TO LEGCO AND SOME LEGCO MEMBERS SAID THAT IT WOULD BE TOO LATE IF YOU DON'T TABLE IT IN EARLY OCTOBER PROVIDED THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS. DO YOU THINK SO?
GOVERNOR:
WELL, WHAT I THINK IS THAT MY DISCUSSIONS WITH POLITICAL GROUPS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WILL ENABLE ME TO HEAR THEIR VIEWS ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME THEY THINK THEY'LL NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION, AS WELL AS TO HEAR THEIR VIEWS ABOUT OTHER MATTERS AS WELL. BUT ALL OF US WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAVE ENOUGH TIME то DISCUSS THESE IMPORTANT MATTERS WITH THE ATTENTION AND DETAIL WHICH THEY WILL DESERVE, AND ALL OF US ALSO HAVE TO ENSURE THAT AFTER THAT LEGISLATION IS PASSED, WE'VE STILL GOT ENOUGH TIME TO MAKE ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS. BUT I THINK YOU RECOGNISE THAT WHILE QUESTIONS ABOUT DEADLINES ARE FAIR SPORT, IT WOULDN'T BE VERY SENSIBLE FOR ME TO ANSWER THEM AS EXPLICITLY AS I HOPE I'VE ANSWERED SOME OF YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS THIS AFTERNOON,
■
QUESTION:
MR PATTEN, JUST GOING BACK ΤΟ LOCALISATION. YOU KNOW...
IN LEGCO HAS PLEDGED TO INITIATE PRIVATE MEMBER'S BILL ΤΟ STOP, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEW POLICY. MY QUESTION IS UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES WILL YOU PREPARE TO SHELVE OR CHANGE YOUR POLICY?
GOVERNOR:
WE RIGHTS.
—
I'VE STATED WHAT OUR POLICY IS AND THAT'S OUR POLICY NOW AND WILL REMAIN OUR POLICY. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN LEGISLATE ΤΟ DO THINGS WHICH ARE ILLEGAL. IT'S A POINT ON WHICH THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS AND LETTERS PATENT WITH WHICH ALL OF YOU, I KNOW, ARE TERRIFICALLY FAMILIAR ARE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR. THEY MAKE IT CLEAR THAT CAN'T LEGISLATE IN A WAY WHICH IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE BILL OF SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, ALL OF US, IS TO SIT DOWN AND WORK OUT A LONG TERM PERMANENT SOLUTION. IT'S NOT EASY, BUT THAT MUST BE THE CONSTRUCTIVE WAY FORWARD. IT'S ONLY A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT I WAS BEING PRESSED BY A NUMBER OF LEGISLATORS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, FROM RIGHT ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, LET IT BE SAID, TO ESTABLISH A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS WAS IMPLEMENTED AS RIGOROUSLY AS POSSIBLE. WELL IF THAT IS THE VIEW OF THOSE LEGISLATORS, THEY CAN'T BE SURPRISED WHEN I TRY TO ABIDE BY THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE.
TWO MORE QUESTIONS.
QUESTION:
GOVERNOR, IT'S BEEN 10 MONTHS SINCE, FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSE, YOU GAZETTED PROPOSALS. JUST HOW UNHAPPY ARE YOU THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO STAND BEFORE THE LEGISLATORS AND SAY: "LOOK, IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME THAT I TALKS ABOUT THIS, AS MUCH AS A YEAR AGO. I'M STANDING HERE AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO TELL YOU GUYS EXCEPT THAT I HOPE THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS."
AND
/GOVERNOR