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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1993
YOU
QUESTION (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
AND MY SECOND QUESTION IS: TALKED ABOUT THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. I THINK IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO,
TO SAFEGUARD THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN HONG KONG, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO TRY TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE JOURNALISTS. I THINK IN HONG KONG THE STATUS OF THE JOURNALIST IS NOT VERY RESPECTED. ALL THESE JOURNALISTS, I THINK, THEY HAVE A LOT OF GRIEVANCES IN THEIR WORK. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE TO GO OUT TO WORK, FOR EXAMPLE, DURING TYPHOONS, AND THEY HAVE TO COVER NEWS LIKE ROBBERIES, AND THEIR LIVES ARE IN DANGER. I THINK NOBODY KNOWS THEIR GRIEVANCES AND NOBODY INTERVIEWS THEM TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEIR GRIEVANCES. AND WHEN THEY INTERVIEW SOME BIG-SHOTS, THEY MIGHT BE COLD-SHOULDERED. SO THESE ARE ALL THEIR GRIEVANCES. AND FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO THE BIRD WHO SINGS IN THE CAGE, BUT IF THIS BIRD LIVES WITH HARASSMENT, DO YOU THINK IT CAN SING HAPPILY?
GOVERNOR:
WELL, THERE ARE A LOT OF BIRDS OVER THERE, AND I THINK YOU WILL BE THE MOST POPULAR MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED. A FREE PRESS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF A FREE AND OPEN SOCIETY. A FREE PRESS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN ALL ASK QUESTIONS AND PREVENT, FOR EXAMPLE, CORRUPTION SEEPING INTO OUR SOCIETY. I ARGUED A FEW DAYS AGO THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT JOURNALISTS AND EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS STAND UP FOR THE VALUES OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND A FREE PRESS. MANY JOURNALISTS HAVE PAID FOR THOSE VALUES WITH THEIR LIVES OR THEIR LIBERTY, SO THE JOURNALIST'S IS A PROFESSION WHICH WE SHOULD ALL HONOUR WHEN IT IS CARRIED OUT WITH INTEGRITY AND COMMITMENT. WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR OWN LAWS DON'T INHIBIT OR PREVENT THE ACTIVITIES OF A FREE PRESS, AND WE ARE REVIEWING OUR LAWS AT THE MOMENT TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN.
I
AGREE WITH YOU ON THE FIRST POINT YOU MADE ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE BY THE MUSIC OFFICE.
THAT WORK ISN'T BEING CLOSED DOWN, IT IS BEING TRANSFERRED, AS I THINK YOU KNOW, то THE ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS. THAT ACADEMY DOES A WONDERFUL JOB AND ORGANISES THE PUBLIC CONCERTS THAT WE HOLD IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE, AND AT THOSE CONCERTS WE HAVE CHINESE MUSIC AS WELL AS WESTERN MUSIC, SO I AM STARTING TO LEARN ABOUT IT.
QUESTION
(THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR GOVERNOR, MAY I ASK YOU, APART FROM YOUR CONCERNS WITH THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, SHOULD YOU PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS OF STUDENTS SUICIDE, THE UNDESIRABLE SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE AND THE YOUTH PROBLEMS ARE DETERIORATING AND THEY ARE HAVING A GREATER AND GREATER IMPACT ON THE SOCIETY. SO, APART FROM GIVING MORE FUNDING AND MORE TEACHERS, DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD REVIEW THE EDUCATION SYSTEM WHICH WAS FORMULATED MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO? DO YOU THINK IT STILL
MODERN DAY SOCIETY?
FITS
THE
/GOVERNOR: