Transcript of the Chief Secretary's Q&A session
Following is the transcript of the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan's question- and-answer session at the Eighth Commonwealth Preliminary Seminar, in the Legislative Council today (Monday):
Mrs Elizabeth Wong: First of all, let me say how much I appreciate the excellent speech given by honorary Anson Chan who has set out in very clear terms the prospect for Hong Kong and her view, and also, equally appreciative of the scintillating presence of so many illustrious Honourable Members from other parliaments of many different countries. Therefore I would like to start the discussion by really concentrating on Hong Kong's future as the title of Honourable Anson Chan's speech is about, and our prospects, particularly with focus on the Legislative Council which now sits in this chamber, which is likely to be derailed by China after 1997, I July.
So I would like to start the discussion by addressing the question of how does one ensure the high degree of autonomy which is promised Hong Kong under the Basic Law and also the Sino-British Joint Declaration when this Legislature, wholly elected by the people of Hong Kong, is about to be derailed?
As the Honourable Anson Chan has quite rightly said, the SAR - the Special Administrative Region - is going to be called SAR. I hope it does not turn into the "SAR" becomes a "TSAR" (T-S-A-R) which really means a "Token Special Administrative Region'. Now, I am not a pessimist, neither am I an optimist; I am what might be called a new "pessoptimist" which is a new word, which is a neither optimistic nor pessimistic person. But I really would like to see and hear from Honourable Members of this meeting what they feel should be done, ought to be done, could be done for Hong Kong, to attain our high degree of autonomy unless one is already sure that we have got it?
Mr F VM Mkandawire (Malawi): Thank you Honourable Chairman. I want to speak on the prospects for Hong Kong under the principle of one country, two systems. When you examine this principle thoroughly you will find that the prospect that you have actually been given will easily be dashed, because you cannot hold two systems in one country. But the only way for Hong Kong to avoid its autonomy to be jeopardised by Mainland China, is to ensure that there is no formation of a socialist party in Hong Kong. Immediately you accept the formation of a socialist party, just know that all your hopes will actually be dashed. Well, at the moment that is what I wanted to say.
President: Did I hear "socialist" or "communist" party?