21
THURSDAY,
UTUBER
177J
Į
WE
AN
TO
HAPPEN?
AND
THE
JLG,
THE
GOVERNOR:
I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TO ABANDON THE PRINCIPLES WHICH WOULD HAVE DISCUSSED SO FREQUENTLY ABOUT THE ELECTORAL PROCESS IT UNDERMINE THIS COUNCIL AND ITS ROLE, IT WOULD UNDERMINE THE NOTION OF UNDERMINE THE EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTABLE TO THE LEGISLATURE, IT WOULD RULE OF LAW AND WOULD THEREFORE INEVITABLY AND CERTAINLY AND MASSIVELY HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE STABILITY OF THIS COMMUNITY AND AN EFFECT ON ITS PROSPERITY AS
WELL;
VERY AND I FEEL THOSE THINGS
STRONGLY.
MEMBER
THE ASKS WHY WE DON'T MAKE MORE PROGRESS IN HONOURABLE WHY WE
AIRPORT HAVEN'T ALREADY HAD AN AGREEMENT ABOUT THE CONTAINER TERMINAL. I JUST SAY IN PASSING WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, MINISTERS WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD, DO FOREIGN SECRETARIES, DO SENIOR AND OFFICIALS SIT DOWN AND SPEND THEIR TIME ARGUING ABOUT AIRPORTS AND CONTAINER TERMINALS?
HAVE WHERE? AND WHY DO THEY DO IT? WHY DOES IT DOES ANYBODY SERIOUSLY THINK THAT THE
KONG HONG GOVERNMENT, OR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO SLOW UP PROGRESS ON INTERESTS THE AIRPORT? DOES ANYBODY SERIOUSLY THINK THAT IT'S IN THE
TO SLOW UP OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PROGRESS
DOES ANYBODY THINK IT'S ON THE CONTAINER TERMINAL?
WITH INTERESTS NOT
LIKE TO MAKE THE SORT OF PROGRESS WE WOULD OF LOCALISATION
LAWS, WITH INVESTMENT PROTECTION AND PROMOTION AGREEMENTS, WITH AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND SO ON? THE PARADOX PARADOX
IN IS THERE IS NO SPECIFIC BRITISH INTEREST AGREEMENT ON THESE MATTERS EXCEPT AS I SAID YESTERDAY, THAT WE LIKE WHILE WE ARE SOVEREIGN IN HONG KONG TO GOVERN HONG KONG AS DECENTLY
HONG AND COMPETENTLY AS POSSIBLE. WE WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE KONG
DO IT. CONCEIVABLY 1997 WITH A JOB AS WELL DONE AS WE CAN IN
SAME SORT OF A SENSE AN INTEREST BUT IT'S NOT THE NOW, THAT'S IN
SEVEN INTEREST WHICH CHINA PRESUMABLY HAS IN WORKING 24-HOURS A DAY, DAYS A WEEK, AS SHE SHOULD BE WISHING TO DO, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND FOR THE LIVELIHOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. THAT SHOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE ALL SHARE.
—
-
THE
IN
OUR THE
THE SECURING WOULD
-
BRITISH
So, I REPEAT I REPEAT AS FIRMLY AS I CAN GOVERNMENT, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ARE NOT DRAGGING THEIR FEET IN THE JLG. DOES ANYBODY SERIOUSLY SUPPOSE THAT AMBASSADOR GALSWORTHY AND HIS TEAM DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE AS MUCH PROGRESS AS POSSIBLE?
GALSWORTHY
HE WAS A GREAT ORNITHOLOGIST BUT AMBASSADOR
WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO SPEND MORE TIME IN MEETINGS OF THE JLG THAN AT MAI PO, MUCH AS HE ENJOYED MAI PO. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO RECOGNISE THAT THESE MATTERS REQUIRE AGREEMENT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TABLE. ON OUR SIDE OF THE TABLE WE ARE ANXIOUS TO REACH AGREEMENT AS RAPIDLY AND ARE AS COMPREHENSIVELY AS POSSIBLE. I CAN'T SPEAK FOR WHAT THE VIEWS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE.
PRESIDENT:
ADJOURN IN ACCORDANCE WITH STANDING ORDERS I NOW SITTING UNTIL WEDNESDAY, 13TH OCTOBER 1993.
THE
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