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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1993
GOVERNOR :
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT POINT. YOU'RE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT IN PARAGRAPH 14 OF MY SPEECH WE SET OUT A NUMBER OF THINGS WE WANT TO DO TO HELP THE CONSUMER AND WE REFERRED IN PARTICULAR TO FOUR IMPORTANT BILLS THAT WE ARE GOING TO INTRODUCE. ONE OF THE BILLS THAT WE INTEND TO INTRODUCE WILL ENABLE COURTS TO STRIKE DOWN AND RE-WRITE CONTRACT TERMS WHICH ARE PLAINLY UNFAIR TO CONSUMERS. WE ARE ALSO GOING TO PROVIDE THE CONSUMER COUNCIL, WHICH DOES A TREMENDOUS JOB ON BEHALF OF CONSUMERS WITH MORE MONEY SO THAT THEY CAN REPRESENT GROUPS OF CONSUMERS OVER PARTICULAR ISSUES WHICH CONCERN THEM. IN THE LIGHT OF THAT BILL, AND IN THE LIGHT OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THAT FUND TO HELP CONSUMERS I'LL TALK TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CONSUMER COUNCIL, ASK HIM WHAT HE TILINKS ABOUT THE ARGUMENT YOU'VE PUT FORWARD AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT OUR CONCLUSIONS ARE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHETHER WE CAN INCLUDE THAT THE NEW CONSUMERS REPRESENTATIVE ACTION FUND SHOULD TAKE UP THE ISSUE THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED.
QUESTION:
THANK YOU MR GOVERNOR. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT THE PICTURE BEHIND YOU. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ONE YOU HAD LAST YEAR, BECAUSE IN WEST KOWLOON WE HAVE MORE LAND FROM RECLAMATION. IT'S A PITY THAT IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH THE POLITICAL SYSTEM HAS SHRUNKEN. LAST YEAR, YOU WERE PREPARED TO ABOLISH ALL THE APPOINTED SEATS IN THE DISTRICT BOARD AND THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS
AND, ACTUALLY, THESE KIND OF BOLD MEASURES WERE FAR FROM ENOUGH BECAUSE THE EX-OFFICIO SEATS WERE STILL THERE SO, HAVE YOU DONE ENOUGH? BUT IN YOUR PRESENT POLICY ADDRESS I CAN SEE THAT YOU ARE QUITE POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING MORE. IS IT BECAUSE OF THE CHINESE STRESS? SO I WOULD LIKE YOU TO GIVE YOU THIS FOR HONG KONG. (IN OWN VOICE) THAT IS THE ATTITUDE IN HONG KONG CONTEXT: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE FIRM AND STOUT FOR THEY SHALL BRING FORTH DEMOCRACY FOR HONG KONG.
GOVERNOR:
WHAT A WONDERFUL QUESTION. I AM NOT GOING ΤΟ REPEAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I SAID EARLIER IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION THE VERY ELOQUENT QUESTION ASKED BY THE LADY FROM MICROPHONE NO.2. I THINK THOUGH THAT I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THREE THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, WE REMAIN ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO THE POLICY THAT WE SET OUT, ΤΟ THE PROPOSALS THAT WE SET OUT LAST YEAR ON THE FUTURE OF DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS. I KNOW THAT THE POINT OF VIEW WHICH I AM ABOUT TO EXPRESS ISN'T SHARED BY EVERYBODY, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW WE COULD JUSTIFY CONTINUING TO APPOINT MEMBERS TO DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS WHEN WE WILL NO LONGER BE APPOINTING THEM то THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THIS.
SECONDLY, I'D LIKE TO OFFER ANOTHER BEATITUDE. IT GOES LIKE
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO TRY TO REACH AN HONOURABLE AGREEMENT. BUT T HAVE A THIRD POINT. WE WOULDN'T BE BLESSED IF WE REACHED AN AGREEMENT WHICH WAS DISHONOURABLE. I THINK WE WOULD BE CONDEMNED BY HISTORY AS WELL AS THIS COMMUNITY FOR HAVING ABANDONED OUR PRINCIPLES AND, I REPEAT, THAT IS NOT WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO. OKAY?
CAN I JUST SAY THIS. IT'S NOW FIVE PAST SEVEN. WE MUST ASK VERY SHORT QUESTIONS, VERY SHORT QUESTIONS, BECAUSE OTHERWISE WE WON'T GET MANY MORE IN.
/QUESTION