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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1993
GOVERNOR AT LEGCO QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSTON ON HIS POLICY ADDRESS
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THE PRESIDENT: COUNCIL WILL NOW RESUME. THE GOVERNOR WILL MAKE A SHORT ADDRESS. THE QUESTION TIME THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE DEVOTED MATTERS ARISING FROM THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS.
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THE GOVERNOR: THE GOVERNOR WILL MAKE AN EXTREMELY SHORT ADDRESS. SPOKE FOR JUST OVER TWO HOURS YESTERDAY AND I THINK IT WOULD BE UNGENTLEMANLY OF ME TO SPEAK AT LENGTH THIS AFTERNOON.
So, I SUGGEST IF THE COUNCIL ARE SATISFIED, THAT WE PROCEED DIRECTLY TO QUESTIONS SO THE COUNCIL HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE. IF THE COUNCIL IS SATISFIED WITH THAT, I HOPE THEY WILL FEEL THERE IS PLENTY SPEECH ON WHICH THEY CAN ASK QUESTIONS.
IN THIS
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THE PRESIDENT: MEMBERS MAY NOW PUT QUESTIONS TO THE GOVERNOR. MEMBER WHO HAS ASKED A QUESTION MAY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELUCIDATION ONLY,
ASK A SHORT FOLLOW-UP QUESTION.
MR ANDREW WONG (THROUGH INTERPRETER): DO I NEED ΤΟ STAND UP, MR PRESIDENT? MR CHAIRMAN, I THINK THE GOVERNOR'S POLICY ADDRESS IS BORING ON THE FIRST PART BUT QUITE SUBSTANTIAL, BUT THE LATTER PART IS QUITE SEDUCTIVE. WELL, MR GOVERNOR, DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED AND HAVE YOU TRIED TO USE A THIRD CHANNEL TO CONDUCT NEGOTIATIONS? NOW WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WILL NOT INSIST ON YOUR ORIGINAL PACKAGE OR PROPOSAL AND WILL NOT INSIST ON SOME RIGID INTERPRETATION OF THE BASIC LAW. AND IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED THIS, WHY DIDN'T YOU? IN FUTURE NOW IN THE COMING WEEKS NOW, YOU MENTIONED WEEKS YESTERDAY IN YOUR SPEECH, AND YOU SAID THAT THE TIME REMAINING WILL BE IN WEEKS, SO IN THE COMING WEEKS, WILL YOU BE PROPOSING THIS THIRD CHANNEL? WILL THIS BECOME THE ONLY CHANNEL THAT WILL LEAD US TO SUCCESSFUL TALKS? THANK YOU.
THE GOVERNOR: I ASSUME THAT IN CATEGORISING THAT QUESTION, I SHOULD REGARD IT AS SEDUCTIVE RATHER THAN BORING. I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN MEANS BY A THIRD CHANNEL'.
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I WAS NOT ABLE TO DETECT IN WHAT HE WAS SAYING, A DIFFERENT ARTIFACT FOR TRYING TO GET FROM WHERE WE ARE NOW TO WHERE HE AND I, AND I GUESS ALL OF US, WOULD LIKE US TO BE. WE HAVE, DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS, SHOWN, I THINK, ON OUR SIDE OF THE TABLE, CONSIDERABLE FLEXIBILITY AND CREATIVITY. I SET OUT, NOT TO UNIVERSAL APPROBATION, YESTERDAY, SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH THE BRITISH AND HONG KONG COLLEAGUES, HAD BEEN PREPARED TO DO AND SAY. IT IS OBVIOUSLY FOR CHINESE OFFICIALS TO SAY WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO DO, AND I AM SURE THAT THEY WILL SAY THAT IN DUE COURSE. BUT I CAN ASSURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER THAT WE HAVE LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED, SAVE THAT WE DON'T INTEND TO ABANDON OUR PRINCIPLES.
/MR ALFRED TSO