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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1993
TO
CONTINUE
MISS ANNA WU: THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. GOVERNOR, ON THOSE MATTERS ВЕ PUT TO LEGCO ON 15TH DECEMBER, '93 OF COURSE, WILL TALKS BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS ON THE SAME ISSUES AND CAN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION ADOPT THE POSITION DIFFERENT FROM THE PROPOSALS MADE TO LEGCO AT THESE TALKS? SHOULD THE TWO GOVERNMENTS, IN THE CASE OF A DIFFERENCE, BE MAKING THEIR VIEWS KNOWN TO LEGCO ON THESE ISSUES THEREAFTER, IF AT ALL?
GOVERNOR: I DON'T THINK AT THE MOMENT THAT WE HAVE VERY MUCH ROOM FOR FURTHER TALKING ABOUT THESE MATTERS. THEY ARE ISSUES WHICH, AS I'VE SAID CONSISTENTLY, WE NEED TO GET ON WITH. WE'VE EXPLAINED THAT VERY CAREFULLY TO THE CHINESE SIDE; WE'VE SET OUT OUR POSITION. WE'VE SET OUT OUR POSITION A GREAT DEAL ON THESE MATTERS AND I DON'T THINK THE CHINESE SIDE ARE UNAWARE OF WHAT WE THINK IS NECESSARY.
I CAN JUST ADD ONE OTHER POINT. ONE OF THE ISSUES, ONLY ONE, ON WHICH WE HAVEN'T RESOLVED MATTERS, AS I'VE SAID ONCE OR TWICE TODAY, IS THE VOTING METHOD. WHY CAN'T THE CHINESE SIDE AGREE TO ⚫FT? AS I SAID IT CAN'T BE A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. IT CAN'T BE BECAUSE OF A
ROOTED BELIEF THAT SOMEHOW HONG KONG'S CONSTITUTION MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DISTRICT ORGANISATION AND LEGCO ISSUES. THIS COUNCIL IN 1990 PASSED LEGISLATION FOR THE 1991 AND OTHER DISTRICT ORGANISATION ELECTIONS WHICH ENCOMPASSED BOTH LEGCO AND DISTRICT ORGANISATIONS. IT'S A COMMONPLACE OF THE WAY WE'VE DONE BUSINESS. 30 I THINK THERE ARE SERIOUS QUESTIONS THERE FOR THE CHINESE SIDE. IF IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF FORM, HOW CAN A MATTER OF FORM BE SO IMPORTANT? I REPEAT THAT I THINK THAT ON THESE ISSUES, UNLESS THE CHINESE SIDE HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO SAY WHICH WE HAVEN'T HEARD YET, I THINK THAT ON THESE ISSUES, WE HAVE TO GET ON WITH THE JOB OF LEGISLATING.
MRS PEGGY LAM (THROUGH INTERPRETATION): THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. MR GOVERNOR, JUST NOW YOU SAID THAT REACHING AN AGREEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HOPE THAT THERE IS AN AGREEMENT. BUT RECENTLY I HAVE GONE TO BEIJING, I HAVE MET THE HONG KONG MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE OFFICIALS, THEY SAY THAT IF YOU PUT THE BILL TO LEGCO, THEN IT WILL CREATE HINDRANCE TO THE TALKS. IT MAY LEAD то THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TALKS. SO WE DON'T WANT TO SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TALKS. NOW YOU PUT THE BILL TO LEGCO, IT MAY CREATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A BREAKDOWN. HOW DO YOU RESOLVE THIS CONTRADICTION OR CONFLICT? SECONDLY, IF THERE IS A BREAKDOWN, THEN WE WON'T HAVE FURTHER TALKS, THEN WOULD THAT AFFECT THE SMOOTH TRANSITION FOR HONG KONG?
GOVERNOR: WELL, FIRST OF ALL IF I MAY SAY So, I WELCOME THE HONOURABLE LADY BACK FROM HER ADVENTURES IN PEKING, RECOGNISING THAT PERHAPS ONE SHOULDN'T ALWAYS BELIEVE WHAT ONE READS IN THE NEWSPAPERS OR, NOR YET SEES ON THE TELEVISION.
I HOPE THAT WE CAN AVOID TALK OF BREAKDOWN AND THREATS. I DON'T THINK THAT ANY MEMBER OF THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL COULD FIND ANY EXAMPLES OF MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION OR THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT MAKING THREATS OVER THE LAST YEAR. THREATS HAVEN'T COME FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. AND I THINK IN THE MODERN WORLD, I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON ALL OF US TO DEAL WITH THESE MATTERS RATIONALLY AND SOBERLY. I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG EXPECT AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY EXPECTS WHEN THEY LOOK AT OUR EFFORTS, THE EFFORTS OF THE SOVEREIGN POWERS, BRITAIN AND CHINA, TO REACH AN ACCOMMODATION IN THE INTERESTS
OF THIS COMMUNITY. SO, WE WON'T BREAK OFF THE TALKS. WE WANT THE TALKS TO GO ON. BUT WE ALSO HAVE DISTINCT RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE SOVEREIGN POWER UNTIL 1997 AND WE'RE GOING TO DISCHARGE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
/DR YEUNG