M
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1994
THE
GOVERNOR: WELL, WE'VE WANTED TO DO THAT AS THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE WHO IS WITH ME TODAY WOULD CONFIRM FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WHEN I WENT TO PEKING IN THE AUTUMN OF 1992, I MADE THAT PROPOSAL ΤΟ DIRECTOR LU. IT'S A PROPOSAL WHICH I'VE MADE ON A NUMBER OF SUBSEQUENT OCCASIONS, IN LETTERS THAT I'VE WRITTEN TO DIRECTOR LU. I THINK THAT DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE AND HIS MORE INFORMED COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT THE QUALITY OF THE CIVIL SERVICE IS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR HONG KONG'S SPECTACULAR SUCCESS. AND THEREFORE I THINK SENSIBLE CHINESE OFFICIALS WANT TO SEE AS MUCH ASSURANCE AND RE- ASSURANCE GIVEN TO THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE AS POSSIBLE, AND THEY WANT TO SEE AS SMOOTH A TRANSITION OF THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE AS POSSIBLE. AND IN MY JUDGMENT, AND IN ANSON CHAN'S JUDGMENT, AND IN MICHAEL SZE'S JUDGMENT, THAT INVOLVES TALKING BETWEEN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE OFFICALS ABOUT THE CIVIL SERVICE AND ABOUT INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE CIVIL SERVICE. SO I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT DIALOGUE. I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY IN HONG KONG, WHATEVER THEIR POLITICAL VIEW IS, WHO DOESN'T THINK THAT WOULD BE SENSIBLE.
QUESTION: SINCE OUR RELATIONSHIP IS GETTING BETTER, SO IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITIES THAT YOU ARE GOING TO MEET DIRECTOR LU PING?
GOVERNOR: I WILL MEET DIRECTOR LU PING WHENEVER HE HAS TIME IN HIS DOUBTLESS BUSY DIARY. I'M HAPPY TO SEE HIM AT ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, ANYWHERE, AND DISCUSS ANY AGENDA THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO PUT FORWARD.
QUESTION: WILL MRS CHAN IN THE NEAR FUTURE VISIT CHINA?
GOVERNOR: THERE AREN'T ANY PLANS FOR MRS CHAN TO VISIT CHINA. THERE ARE, AS I THINK YOU KNOW, PLANS FOR ONE OR TWO OF OUR SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS TO VISIT CHINA AS GUESTS OF THE PRC BUT THERE ARE NO PLANS AT THE MOMENT FOR EITHER THE CHIEF SECRETARY OR ME TO VISIT CHINA. WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN THERE ARE, OF COURSE YOU MAY FIND OUT BEFORE WE DO.
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, CAN YOU COMMENT ON THE CRITICISM ON THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION CODE OF PRACTICE, IS IT GOING TO CHANGE THE STRUCTURE THE EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT?
OF
GOVERNOR: NO, I TAKE THE VIEW THAT MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT AND MORE ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT IS BETTER GOVERNMENT, AND I THINK THAT IS THE VIEW TAKEN TO A GREAT EXTENT WITHIN THE CIVIL SERVICE ITSELF. YOU ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE REMARKS MADE BY THE CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS ABOUT OUR PROPOSALS. CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS AND CIVIL SERVANTS IN GENERAL HAVE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB IN IMPLEMENTING THE PERFORMANCE PLEDGES WHICH WE'VE STARTED IN THE AUTUMN OF 1992. I SEE OUR PROPOSALS ON MORE OPEN GOVERNMENT AS A DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PROCESS. AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE TAKEN THE VIEW THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE QUALITY OF GOVERNMENT AND FOR THE COMPETENCE WITH WHICH THE GOVERNMENT IS ABLE TO DO THINGS. THAT'S TO TAKE ONE STEP AT A TIME. THE STEP WE'VE PROPOSED OF HAVING A CODE OF PRACTICE IS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL STEP. WE'LL SHORTLY BE ANNOUNCING THE NAME OF THE CONSULTANT WHO WILL HELP US, ALONG WITH LEGISLATORS, DRAWING UP THE TERMS OF THAT CODE OF PRACTICE. THAT'S
THE
RIGHT WAY TO PROCEED. WE'VE BEEN ATTACKED BY SOME PEOPLE FOR NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH. I THINK WE'VE WON A VERY GOOD CASE IN RELATION TO THEM. WE'VE BEEN CRITICISED BY OTHERS FOR GOING TOO FAR. I THINK WE'VE GOT IT ABOUT RIGHT. AND I THINK PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANT THEIR GOVERNMENT TO BE AS OPEN WITH THEM AS POSSIBLE. ONE MORE QUESTION.
/QUESTION: