WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1994
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH IS, I GUESS, A SOURCE OF BEWILDERMENT TO MANY IS TO CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT Co- OPERATING ON THESE PRACTICAL MATTERS. THE CONSEQUENCES AREN'T HARM TO THE UNITED KINGDOM, EXCEPT TO OUR ATTEMPTS ΤΟ DISCHARGE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES COMPETENTLY, THE HARM, IF WE DON'T GET THROUGH THESE ISSUES IN A SENSIBLE WAY, IS TO THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT AND IN A SENSE TO CHINA, PARTICULARLY TO SOUTHERN CHINA, AND NONE OF US CAN CONCEIVABLY WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. SO 1 VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WITH A LITTLE BITING OF TONGUES ON BOTH SIDES WE CAN FIND SOME WAYS OF PRACTICALLY CO-OPERATING ON ALL THOSE ISSUES WHICH FRANKLY IF THEY DIDN'T REQUIRE DISCUSSION ACROSS THE TABLE HONG KONG WOULD HAVE SORTED OUT AS WELL AS IT'S SORTED OUT EVERYTHING ELSE.
THE STATISTICS I SET OUT FOR WHAT HONG KONG HAS ACHIEVED WHERE IT'S BEEN ABLE TO TAKE DECISIONS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS ARE I THINK AN EXTRAORDINARY INDICATOR OF HONG KONG'S REMARKABLE SUCCESS. I WISH THAT SUCCESS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE COMPREHENSIVE.
QUESTION:
YESTERDAY, CHINESE OFFICIALS SAID THAT SINCE THE QIAN- HURD MEETING BRITAIN HAD DEMONSTRATED ITS LACK OF SINCERITY AND WAS NOT PREPARED то CO-OPERATE. DOESN'T THAT ATTITUDE UNDERMINE THE PROPOSALS THAT YOU'VE PUT FORWARD TODAY?
GOVERNOR:
QUESTION:
HOW HAD BRITAIN DEMONSTRATED ITS LACK OF SINCERITY?
T GATHER HE'S REFERRING TO THE LACK OF PROGRESS IN THE JLG. ALSO THE KMT DECISION.
GOVERNOR:
THE
WELL, LET ME DEAL VERY BRIEFLY ΚΙΤΗ THAT'. ORGANISATION CONCERNED ISN'T ILLEGAL. IT APPLIED FOR USE OF THE FACILITIES IN A WHOLLY LEGAL WAY. UNDER WHAT LAW COULD THE URBAN COUNCIL OR THE GOVERNMENT INTERVENE AND OVERTURN THE DECISION? I MEAN WE HAVE THE RULE OF LAW IN HONG KONG. UNDER WHAT LAW COULD THE GOVERNMENT THROW THE DECISION OUT OR ORDER THE URBAN COUNCIL TO THROW THE DECISION OUT? AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE, INCLUDING SPOKESMEN FOR THE NCNA, RECOGNISES THAT WITH THE RULE OF LAW THE GOVERNOR, THE GOVERNMENT, THE URBAN COUNCIL THE NONA ARE SUBJECT TO THE LAW AND THE LAWS OF HONG KONG.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT MAKES A GREAT DEAL OF SENSE TO PUT AWAY OLD GRAMOPHONE RECORDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE BADLY SCRATCHED, AND TRY TO ENGAGE IN SERIOUS FORWARD LOOKING, POSITIVE DEBATE AND DIALOGUE, AND I THINK WE'VE LONG SINCE ARRIVED AT THAT SITUATION IN HONG KONG. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROPAGANDA AND CO-OPERATING IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG.
QUESTION:
CAN I JUST FOLLOW THAT UP?
GOVERNOR :
NO, YOU'VE HAD ONE TURN.
QUESTION:
MR PATTEN, ALTHOUGH YOU SAID YOU WANT TO DO THE BEST BUT IN FACE OF THE SLUGGISH PROGRESS WITH JLG AND THEN WE JUST DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH CHINA WILL RESPOND TO THE METHODS OF CO-OPERATION YOU JUST MENTIONED OR OUTLINED IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH. WILL THE GOVERNMENT FORMULATE A CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR AN IMPERFECT TRANSITION AND ALSO, SHOULD HONG KONG PEOPLE BE REALISTIC AND PREPARE THAT THERE WILL BE NO PERFECT TRANSITION?
/GOVERNOR: