WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1993
GOVERNOR MEETS MEDIA
:
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER ARTS CENTRE IN HONG KONG PARK TODAY:
GOVERNOR, THE RT HON VISITING THE VISUAL
GOVERNOR: GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM DELIGHTED TO HAVE SEEN THIS AFTERNOON SOME OF THE FACILITIES AND SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE URBAN COUNCIL WHICH PLAY SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG. IT'S BEEN A GREAT PLEASURE TO SEE BOTH THE RECREATION AND CULTURAL FACILITIES AND TO SEE SOME OF THE HARD WORK THAT THE COUNCIL DOES IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE. IN MY LEGCO SPEECH A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I PROMISED THE COMMUNITY THAT BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, WE WOULD SET OUT WHAT WE BELIEVED TO BE THE RIGHT WAY AHEAD FOR HELPING THOSE WHO'RE RETIRED. WE SAID WE WOULD PUT FORWARD OUR VIEWS ABOUT RETIREMENT PROTECTION. WE'VE KEPT OUR WORDS THIS AFTERNOON AND SET OUT OUR VIEWS IN A STATEMENT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I THINK THE APPROACH WHICH WE HAVE PUT FORWARD IS THE BEST WAY OF PROVIDING BETTER FINANCIAL CARE FOR THE ELDERLY, BOTH TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE IN A WAY WHICH IS COST-EFFECTIVE. I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT MY VIEW IS THAT WE SHOULD DEPEND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ON THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF PRIVATE SCHEMES. I THINK THAT IS THE HONG KONG TRADITION AND I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT, BUT IF THE COMMUNITY WANTS TAKE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO THE ISSUE, IF IT WANTS A MORE INTERVENTIONIST APPROACH, THEN I THINK THE WAY WE HAVE SUGGESTED THIS AFTERNOON IS THE RIGHT WAY FORWARD. I THINK THAT WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF A PERIOD OF PRETTY VIGOROUS DEBATE IN THE COMMUNITY ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE. WE'VE MADE CLEAR WHAT WE THINK SHOULD HAPPEN. IT'S AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT BOTH BECAUSE OF THE NEEDS OF THE ELDERLY TODAY AND BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE NUMBER OF THE ELDERLY IS INCREASING AND THE NUMBER OF THE VERY ELDERLY IS INCREASING AS WELL. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SOCIAL PROBLEMS, SOCIAL CHALLENGES THAT HONG KONG HAS TO FACE IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND I THINK WE'VE RISEN TO THAT CHALLENGE IN AN INTELLIGENT AND SENSIBLE WAY THIS AFTERNOON AND I HOPE THAT THAT WILL BE RECOGNISED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND BY THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMUNITY.
1
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GAZETTE THE SECOND PART YOUR REFORM BILL AS CHINA HAS SAID REPEATEDLY THAT THE TALKS NOW LITERALLY DEAD?
ΤΟ
OF
ARE
/GOVERNOR