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Governor: I think he should apply his integrity and common sense in this particular instance as he has in others. Speaking for myself I think it's wholly welcome that we have a distinguished businessman playing this bridging role, if it's possible. It may be that in due course the tensions become very difficult, in which case I'm sure that the honourable member concerned would know how to resolve them, but for the time. being I think the arrangements work perfectly satisfactorily. I don't hide from the Legislative Council that the member concerned raised these questions with me, raised his own concem about them and I urged him to remain a member of my Executive Council because I'm sure he'll be able to play a valuable role. But if it proves too difficult, both for him and for the two institutions of which he is a member then I'm sure he'll know what to do.
Mr Chan Wing-chan (In Chinese): Mr Governor, the SARPC has been set up recently in Beijing. In Hong Kong we have over 90 members and the Government has said that it will work with the SARPC. My question for the Governor is this: will you show your sincerity and will you therefore ask to see Hong Kong members of SARPC, and if you will do so, how will you go about it? And if you won't, what are the reasons?
Governor: I'm sorry, the honourable member asked me to do what with the Hong Kong members of the Preparatory Committee?
The President: To meet.
Governor: To meet?
Mr Chan Wing-chan (In Chinese): To communicate with them, to listen to their views. They may have views for you, so will you actually take the initiative and ask to see them and meet with them so that you can listen to their views?
Governor: I would be delighted to meet them and listen to their views. And any time that they would like to come and see me, to see the Chief Secretary, to see other members of the Administration in Government House, we would be delighted to meet them. It has been my experience in the past that sometimes when I've asked people to come and meet me they have had very full diaries. I would hope that since we are talking about 94 people that there might be the odd space in one or two of those diaries over the next 17 months.