FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1993
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NOW UNFORTUNATELY, DISCUSSION ON THOSE PROPOSALS DIDN'T START FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THAT WASN'T BECAUSE OF A LACK OF SINCERITY ON OUR PART. WE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE STARTED DISCUSSIONS THERE AND THEN. I THINK, TO PUT IT POLITELY, THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY ΤΟ GET ONE OR TWO THINGS OFF THEIR CHEST TO START WITH. DISCUSSIONS STARTED AND WE'VE TRIED, THROUGHOUT THOSE DISCUSSIONS, FIND WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN REACH AGREEMENT, AND THAT HAS MEANT THAT HAVE PUT FORWARD CONDITIONAL CONCESSIONS, WHICH WE STILL BELIEVE, PART OF AN OVERALL PACKAGE, WOULD PROVIDE FAIR AND OPEN ELECTIONS. THOSE CONDITIONAL CONCESSIONS INCLUDED A NEW PROPOSAL ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. IT WOULD HAVE REDUCED THE ELECTORATE, YOU SAID, FROM THE PROPOSED 2.7 MILLION BY ABOUT TWO THIRDS. BELIEVE THAT WOULD STILL GIVE US FAIR AND OPEN ELECTIONS ΤΟ FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. I'VE SEEN SOME OTHER IDEAS ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES WHICH WOULDN'T GIVE US FAIR AND OPEN ELECTIONS. WHETHER OR
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NOT THOSE PROPOSALS WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE WOULD, I THINK, DEPEND ON THE OVERALL SHAPE OF AN AGREEMENT, AND ACCEPTABILITY WOULD BE TESTED IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I DON'T THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD UNDERSTAND, I DON'T THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD ACCEPT
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IF WE HAD GONE TO THE NEGOTIATIONS, IF WE HAD SAT DOWN AT THE TABLE AND REFUSED TO BUDGE AN INCH. BUT I DON'T THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD FORGIVE ME, OR WOULD FORGIVE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT OR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, IF DURING THOSE NEGOTIATIONS WE GAVE AWAY ALL OUR PRINCIPLES. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE AT THE MOMENT, NEGOTIATING IN SINCERITY AND IN GOOD FAITH, TRYING TO FIND A DECENT BASIS FOR FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS, BUT WE DO, I CAN ASSURE YOU, HAVE A BOTTOM LINE AND, IF ANYBODY DISBELIEVES US WHEN I SAY THAT, I HOPE THEY WON'T DISBELIEVE US FOR TOO LONG.
QUESTION:
DEAR MR GOVERNOR, MY QUESTION IS RELATED то YOUR RESPONSE TO AN EARLIER QUESTION, QUESTION NUMBER TWO, AND I BELIEVE QUESTIONER NUMBER THREE RAISED THE POINT, BUT I FEEL THAT AN ANSWER HAS YET TO BE GIVEN BY YOU. THE QUESTION IS, YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU ARE AGAINST A REFERENDUM TO DECIDE WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE DIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN HONG KONG AND THE REASON BEING THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY AWAY FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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NOW MY QUESTION IS: THE PRESENT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IS NOT DIRECTLY ELECTED, IT DOESN'T FULFIL IF I MAY QUOTE QUESTIONER NUMBER THREE IT DOESN'T REALLY FULFIL THE VERY CRITERIA THAT YOU, YOURSELF, HAVE BEEN REPEATING ALL THE TIME. SO UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, HOW CAN YOU AND HOW CAN WE AS CITIZENS OF HONG KONG BE CONFIDENT, BE SURE, THAT THE PRESENT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL TRULY REFLECT AND REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY?
GOVERNOR:
FIRST, THERE IS A STORY ABOUT SOMEBODY TRAVELLING IN IRELAND AND THEY GET LOST AND THEY STOP TO ASK THE WAY, AND THE OLD MAN THEY ASK TO TELL THEM THE WAY REPLIES: "WELL, I WOULDN'T START FROM HERE. THE FIRST THING I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT I HAVE ΤΟ START FROM HERE.
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SECOND, THERE WAS ONCE A BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WHO WAS DESCRIBED BY A COLLEAGUE AS THE BEST PRIME MINISTER WE'VE GOT, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT WAS AN INSULT BUT IT WAS MEANT TO BE A REALISTIC DESCRIPTION.
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