TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1994
GOVERNOR:
1992.
QUESTION:
YES, IN 1992.
GOVERNOR:
QUESTION:
IT MAY FEEL LIKE 1991 BUT IT WAS 1992.
BE
THAT
WELL, NONE OF US IS AS YOUNG AS WE WOULD LIKE. WHY AREN'T YOU GOING OUT YOURSELF TO PRESS THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, TO SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOUR LAWS ARE ABOUT, SO THEY CAN THEN TELL LEGCO? BECAUSE I'VE GOT THE FEELING THAT AT THE MOMENT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS PRESSING LEGCO. I WANT то KNOW YOU'RE NOT DOING THE OLD-FASHIONED TORY CAMPAIGN OUTSIDE, PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS YOU WANT?
GOVERNOR:
WHY
TO TELL
CAN I JUST MAKE A COUPLE OF CORRECTIONS. I DON'T THINK THAT I'LL RETURN FROM LONDON TO DISCOVER THAT PROPERTY PRICES ARE THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE DOMESTICALLY, I THINK THEY ARE THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE DOMESTICALLY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT THAT IS THE WAY THE GOVERNMENT SEES THINGS AND THAT'S A PROBLEM WHICH THE GOVERNMENT, WITH THE COMMUNITY, WISHES TO ADDRESS.
CERTAINLY,
I WAS MAKING A DISTINCTION BETWEEN, AS IT
WERE, THE NON-POLITICAL CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES AND THE OTHERS CERTAINLY, WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT DURING THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER THE EXTREMELY SENSIBLE PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE PUT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ARE ENACTED. AND IF I LOOK BACK OVER THE LAST YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN OCCASIONAL SQUALLS, OCCASIONAL ARGUMENTS CONDUCTED FAIRLY VOCIFEROUSLY FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT HERE WE ARE IN THE SPRING OF 1994 AND TWO-THIRDS OF OUR POLITICAL PROPOSALS ARE THROUGH AND ON THE STATUTE BOOK AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OTHERS BEING THROUGH.
THE PROPOSALS THAT WENT THROUGH A FEW WEEKS AGO WENT THROUGH WITH,
I THINK, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DEBATING THEM VERY THOROUGHLY AND WITH THE COMMUNITY HAVING A PRETTY GOOD NOTION OF WHAT THEY WERE ALL ABOUT. RECENT OPINION POLLS, LIKE THE POLL YESTERDAY WHICH GAVE PEOPLE'S PARTY POLITICAL PREFERENCES, DIDN'T SUGGEST THAT THE GENERAL THRUST OF OUR ARGUMENT AND OUR APPROACH WAS RUNNING INTO A BRICK WALL. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND OUTSIDE WHEN WE NEED BUT I DON'T THINK AT THE MOMENT THAT IT REQUIRES ANY MORE HIGH PROFILE ACTIVITY ON MY PART. I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL MAKE A SUFFICIENTLY GOOD CASE ON THESE PROPOSALS TO SEE THEM FIRMLY ENTRENCHED ON THE STATUTE BOOK. THAT'S OUR AMBITION AND OUR INTENTION AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL BE WORKING FOR AND ARGUING FOR AFTER THE SUMMER BUT THERE ARE OTHER ISSUES THAT MATTER AS WELL.
THE REASON WHY THE POLITICAL ISSUE MATTERS SO MUCH IS BECAUSE IT IS SO INTIMATELY TIED UP WITH OUR FUTURE WELL-BEING AS A COMMUNITY, SO INTIMATELY TIED UP WITH THE FUTURE OF THE RULE OF LAW AND WITH THE FUTURE OF THE OTHER VALUES AND FREEDOMS THAT MATTER SO MUCH IN THIS COMMUNITY.
J
ONE FINAL POINT, THE BILLS COMMITTEE HAS STARTED TO LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR MEASURE. THEY HAD AN EXTREMELY GOOD DISCUSSION YESTERDAY LASTING ABOUT AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF. IT WAS DETAILED AND INTELLIGENT AND THOUGHTFUL QUIET, THERE WERE NO VERBAL FISTICUFFS IT WAS AN INTELLIGENT DISCUSSION. I'M SURE THAT IS HOW THE DISCUSSION WILL CONTINUE AND I WAS ALSO IMPRESSED BY THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OBVIOUSLY WANT TO MAKE PROGRESS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. SO WE CAN GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED AS SOON AS MAY BE.
/QUESTION: