- 7.
done so much damage elsewhere. Which is not to say that everything which has been done for the last 45 years has been perfect. Which is not to say there aren't abuses, some of them abuses brought to our attention recently by the unions, in the importation of labour schemes. Let's be honest about it. There are problems on both sides but the people of Hong Kong don't want those problems addressed in a confrontational way.
It goes wider than labour relations. It touches on some of the issues that members introduce private legislation on. We've got a Housing Authority which probably manages the biggest public housing agency in the world. Which has probably the biggest public housing building programme. There are problems which need to be addressed in the way it works, nobody disputes that, but I don't think anyone seriously supposes that it makes sense, without any public discussion, without the sort of involvement of the community in the outcome, I don't think anybody seriously supposes the sensible thing to do is simply overturn it overnight without adequate public discussion and debate.
So it's an issue which touches on other matters as well, but I'm sure that good sense will prevail and I'm sure that people in Hong Kong will continue to expect our affairs to be conducted in as co-operative a way as possible with as much public and shared trust as possible and as I say, it covers the issues I have mentioned. It also covers, I think, the very strong feeling of people in Hong Kong that there isn't such a thing as a free lunch whatever may be done from time to time about fees and charges.
Mr Chan Kam-lam (in Chinese): Thank you Mr President. Mr Governor, I am sure you are well aware of what happened last evening; we had a very vigorous debate. A motion moved by Miss Emily Lau fearing that there might be a shadow government and a second power centre, and the motion urged us that there be one man one vote for the selection of the Chief Executive and also the Legislature. And the voting result was 26/26 and the President invoked a 19th century practice and put his casting vote. Mr Governor, if you had been in the Chamber then, how would you have cast your vote?
Governor: If I had been in the Chamber it would have been. I imagine, as President which is what the Governor of Hong Kong always used to be, and it is one of the real pleasures which other governors enjoyed which I have denied myself: the ability to sit for hour after hour in this Chamber and listen to the speeches made by honourable members. Had I been here, I would therefore have cast my vote in exactly the same way as the President did because he was following the constitutional proprieties in what he did.