THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994
MR JIMMY MCGREGOR :
GOVERNOR, I ASSUME THAT THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WITH THE PWC WAS MENTIONED DURING YOUR DISCUSSIONS IN LONDON AND I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO KNOW WHETHER YOU CONSIDER THAT YOURSELF AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO CONSTRUCTIVELY CONSIDER THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PWC TO SEE WHETHER THIS CAN BE FURTHER IMPROVED; AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO INVOLVE LEGCO IN THIS PROCESS?
GOVERNOR:
WELL, WE ARE ALWAYS DELIGHTED TO RECEIVE CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON THIS MATTER AS ON OTHERS. THE IMPRESSION THAT I GOT FROM THE DEBATE WHICH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAD ON MY SPEECH TO THIS BODY AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST MONTH, WAS THAT SOME PEOPLE WANTED US TO DO MORE AND SOME PEOPLE WANTED US TO DO LESS IN RELATION TO THE PWC. I THINK THAT THE GUIDELINES SET OUT BY MY HONOURABLE FRIEND THE CHIEF SECRETARY EXTREMELY SENSIBLE AND ENABLE US TO PROVIDE MEMBERS OF THE PWC ANY HELP, WITH ANY BRIEFING, THAT THEY MAY REQUIRE TO DO THEIR BETTER.
ARE WITH
JOB
I WAS VERY PLEASED THE OTHER DAY THAT WE HAD
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THE OPPORTUNITY OF TAKING PART IN A SEMINAR ON THE LINK BETWEEN THE HONG KONG DOLLAR AND THE US DOLLAR, AT WHICH A SENIOR HONG KONG PUBLIC SERVANT WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR WHAT OUR POSITION WAS ON THE LINK. I WAS DELIGHTED THAT A SENIOR PRC OFFICIAL MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE PRC TOTALLY SHARE OUR VIEW ON THAT IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF MACRO-ECONOMIC POLICY, THOUGH I THINK I AM RIGHT IN SAYING THAT NOT EVERY MEMBER OF THE PWC TAKES THAT VIEW, BUT IT WAS VERY HELPFUL, THINK, ΤΟ HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY OF MAKING IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT THERE WASN'T A PIECE OF TISSUE PAPER BETWEEN THE VIEWS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE VIEWS OF PRC OFFICIALS ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE. I THINK IT WILL HAVE HELPED TO CLEAR UP SOME PERHAPS UNFORTUNATE CONFUSION. SO THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THAT WHICH THINK WE SHOULD TAKE AS CONSTRUCTIVELY AND POSITIVELY AS POSSIBLE.
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I STILL BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE POSITION OF THE PWC AND THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. I THINK THAT IS WELL-RECOGNISED. BUT WE REMAIN, I REPEAT, READY ΤΟ OFFER ADVICE AND INFORMATION TO THE PWC WHENEVER THEY ASK FOR IT.
DURING YOUR DEBATE ON MY SPEECH, ONE HONOURABLE
MEMBER, IN A COLOURFUL METAPHOR, SAID THAT WE'D COOKED SOME PRETTY GOOD MEALS OURSELVES HERE IN HONG KONG AND WE SHOULD OFFER TO SHOW OTHERS THE RECIPES. I THINK WE ARE ALL VERY HAPPY ΤΟ PASS OVER BOOKS FULL OF RECIPES BUT I THINK NOBODY SHOULD NECESSARILY EXPECT US TO QUEUE UP TO COOK AT A SECOND STOVE. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD FIRST STOVE OF OUR OWN, BUT WE ARE DELIGHTED TO TELL THE PWC AND OTHERS EVERYTHING THEY WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. WE ARE PREPARED TO BE AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE TO PWC MEMBERS GENUINELY AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE TO PWC MEMBERS AS WE HAVE BEEN TO A CONSIDERABLE EXTENT, AND I HOPE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO BE VERY POSITIVE RIGHT ACROSS THE BOARD IN A COMPREHENSIVE AND OPEN RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE.
J
/MR JTMMY