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MONDAY, MAY 9, 1994
QUESTION: DURING THE PAST WEEK, WHILE MR LU PING HAS BEEN HERE, APART FROM THE FACT THE OPINION POLL SHOWS THAT CONFIDENCE ACTUALLY DROPPED, WE HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN MORE OF YOU THAN WE HAVE... DESPITE THE FACT YOU HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TWO YEARS, HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IS TO DO WITH THE DIFFERENT WAYS THE TWO OF YOU HANDLE YOUR PR? PEOPLE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OF DIRECTOR LU PING AND COMPLAINED LAST NIGHT THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN VERY ACCESSIBLE. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK HAS TO DO WITH THE WAY YOU HANDLE PR?
GOVERNOR:
I THINK THAT YOU WILL KNOW THAT SINCE I CAME TO HONG KONG AS GOVERNOR, I'VE TRIED TO BE AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE. SOMETIMES, I HAVE MORE ENGAGEMENTS THAN OTHERS BUT I'VE BEEN OUT AND ABOUT EVERY WEEK SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT FROM THE PAST IN HONG KONG TO SOME EXTENT BUT REFLECTS, I GUESS, BOTH MY OWN BACKGROUND AS A DEMOCRATIC POLITICIAN AND MY FEELING THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANTED THAT, WANTED TO SEE THEIR GOVERNMENT PREPARED ΤΟ ANSWER QUESTIONS AND SHOWING ITSELF TO BE ACCESSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE. DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND TRADITIONS BUT I AM ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT THAT IS THE SORT OF OPENNESS WHICH HONG KONG NOW EXPECTS, NOW TAKES FOR GRANTED. I HOPE THAT ALL OF US, WHETHER PRC OFFICIALS OR HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, CAN RECOGNISE THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAVE CONCERNS, HAVE QUESTIONS. THEY WANT TO EXPRESS THOSE CONCERNS DIRECTLY TO US AND THEY WANT TO HAVE THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED BUT WHILE I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, I AM NOT YET RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY.
QUESTION: MR PATTEN,
WILL YOU TRY TO INVESTIGATE THE CASE OR THE REPORTING CONCERNING THE LEGISLATOR TIMOTHY HA. THERE ARE DISPUTES AND DISCONTENT ABOUT HIS MIS-SPENDING ABOUT HIS ALLOWANCES?
GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT MATTER HAS BEEN HANDLED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ITSELF IN THE USUAL WAY AND I THINK IT IS TRADITIONAL FOR LEGISLATURES AROUND THE WORLD TO HANDLE THOSE SORTS OF ISSUES REGARDING EXPENSES AND SO ON THEMSELVES. NOBODY'S SUGGESTED ΤΟ THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT I SHOULD GET INVOLVED AND I WOULD HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS AND DOUBTS ABOUT DOING SO. I AM SURE THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ITSELF WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT. ONE MORE
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QUESTION: ABOUT THE EARLIER SURVEY POINT, ARE YOU ADMITTING THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS BASICALLY POWERLESS TO STOP THE OUTFLOW POLITICAL CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG WITHOUT CHINESE CO-OPERATION?
GOVERNOR: NO. WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT THERE WILL BE MORE
CONFIDENCE THE PRC'S 1997
THE FUTURE. THE MORE CLEARLY PEOPLE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN COMMITMENT TO THE JOINT DECLARATION AND TO A SMOOTH TRANSITION, IS A RING IN THE DIARY, RING BY HISTORY IN THE BRIGHTEST COLOURS AND THERE IS NOTHING I OR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT CAN DO ABOUT THAT OR WOULD CHOOSE TO DO ABOUT THAT. WE CAN, I HOPE, EARN CONFIDENCE BY THE WAY WE BEHAVE BEFORE JUNE 30, 1997 AND BY THE AMOUNT WE DO BEFORE JUNE 30, 1997 TO ENSURE THAT THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION ARE AS SECURE AS POSSIBLE. BUT, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO'LL BE BUILDING ON THOSE FOUNDATIONS AFTER 1997. WITH, I HOPE, HONG KONG HAVING THAT HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY WHICH DIRECTOR LU SPOKE ABOUT VERY WARMLY LAST FRIDAY, AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS THE POINT IN HIS SPEECH WHICH PEOPLE FELT MOST SUPPORTIVE OF, AND WHICH PEOPLE WARM TO WITH THE GREATEST ENTHUSIASM. THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT POINT HE MADE. HE MADE IT VERY ELOGUENTLY AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WHICH WILL, I HOPE, IT SINKS IN, REASSURE PEOPLE.
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