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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1993
I CAN SAY ONE LAST THING. IF WE ARE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE WELFARE OF THE FAMILY, WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE SORT OF ISSUE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HAS RAISED, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, AND HE IS QUITE RIGHT TO CHIDE ME FOR NOT DOING MORE. BUT 1 THINK IT WAS AN IMPORTANT AND USEFUL MOVE FORWARD AND I HOPE AS RESOURCES ALLOW, WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE FURTHER WITHOUT THE OF HONG KONG EVER BEING CALLED A REAL SOCIALIST OR EVEN AN OLD FASHIONED TORY.
MR PRESIDENT,
GOVERNOR
ΤΟ
IS
MR MAN SAI-CHEONG (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH ARE VERY IMPORTANT, THEY ARE CORNERSTONES OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY. IN PARAGRAPH 15, MR GOVERNOR, YOU SAID THAT IN AN OPEN SOCIETY WE WILL NOT KEEP UNNECESSARY SECRETS, AND THEN IN PARAGRAPH 113 YOU EMPHASISED THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT PROTECT PERSONAL FREEDOM AND LIBERTIES AND PRESS FREEDOM. IF THAT TRUE, HOW COME YOU ONLY TALK ABOUT DISCLOSING PUBLIC INFORMATION WITHOUT TELLING US WHETHER YOU HAVE NEW MEASURES TO PROTECT PRESS FREEDOM MORE? FOR EXAMPLE, TO RELEASE MORE INFORMATION ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION. NOW, THERE ARE SEVEN ORDINANCES CURBING PRESS FREEDOM. WILL YOU RELAX OR REPEAL THESE LAWS TO WIN THE SUPPORT OF THE JOURNALISTS? THANK YOU.
THE GOVERNOR:
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WIN AN
AS A FORMER POLITICIAN, I'M SURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL KNOW THAT THE LAST THING I EVER SEEK TO DO IS ΤΟ SUPPORT FROM JOURNALISTS. BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER MAKES IMPORTANT POINT. WE HAVE BREN REVIEWING WITH THE JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION PUSHING US AND SPURRING US ON WE HAVE BEEN REVIEWING THOSE LAWS, THOSE ORDINANCES IN HONG KONG, WHICH NOT JUST JOURNALISTS BUT MANY OTHERS OUTSIDE THE JOURNALIST PROFESSION BELIEVE MAY EITHER BE POTENTIALLY IN CONFLICT WITH THE BILL OF RIGHTS OR MAY BE ACTUALLY IN
CONFLICT WITH THE BILL OF RIGHTS, OR MAY BE UNHELPFUL IN RELATION TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION IN THE FUTURE. WE'VE TRIED TO RESPOND TO THE JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION AS CONSTRUCTIVELY AS POSSIBLE. THE JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE US TO GO FURTHER AND WE'RE,
1 HOPE, IN A CONTINUING DIALOGUE WITH THE CHAIRMAN, THE CHAIR OF THE JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION, AND OTHERS, ABOUT WHAT FURTHER THEY WOULD LIKE US TO DO. I THINK THE PROPOSALS WE HAVE PUT FORWARD SO FAR ARE SENSIBLE BUT I AM PERFECTLY PREPARED TO BE PERSUADED TO GO FURTHER.
WHERE THERE IS A GENUINE ISSUE OF PRINCIPLE WHICH SEPARATES SOME OF US, IS WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE GENERAL DECLARATORY LEGISLATION ON THE STATUTE BOOK ABOUT FREEDOM OF INFORMATION. AND AS I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL KNOW, I AM DUBIOUS ABOUT GENERAL DECLARATORY LEGISLATION, THOUGH I AM ENTHUSIASTICALLY IN FAVOUR OF OPENING UP GOVERNMENT IN SPECIFIC AREAS FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSKS.
MR MAN SAT-CHEONG:
ELUCIDATION ON THE LAST POINT. WHAT AREAS ARE YOU FREPARED TO OPEN UP IN THE GOVERNMENT? ARE YOU TALKING ONLY ABOUT THE RIGHT-TO-KNOW IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS OR YOU SHOULD TRY PUSH IT FURTHER AS AN EXAMPLE FOR AN OPEN GOVERNMENT?
TO
/THE GOVERNOR:
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