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Comments in response to letter sent to Prime Minister
In response to press enquiries about a letter issued this evening on behalf of a number of business organisations, the Governor's spokesman, Kerry McGlynn, made the following comments:
It is a pity that the businessmen who inspired the letter did not talk to the Governor before sending it to the Prime Minister because their criticisms seriously misrepresent the message of confidence in Hong Kong's future which the Governor consistently put across during his recent North American tour.
Their criticisms in fact have arisen from something the Governor never said.
Indeed, if the signatories had looked at all the media reports generated by the Governor's visit to the United States and Canada, and if they had asked any of those who had attended his speaking engagements in record numbers, they would have seen that Mr Patten powerfully argued the case for confidence in Hong Kong.
But he did so against a background of intense and sceptical questioning about decisions and statements made by Chinese officials and their advisers, particularly those in the Preparatory Committee, in the last month or two which had left the impression in the international community of threats to our human rights legislation, the independence of the judiciary, the political neutrality of the civil service and, of course, to our first fully democratically elected Legco.
The Governor has always been an admirer and an advocate of the great contribution the business community has made to Hong Kong's spectacular economic success. He has argued equally strongly that Hong Kong's future depends not only on the continuation of sensible economic policies, but on the maintenance of the freedoms and values which we enjoy today.
Our businessmen, particularly those with undoubted influence with Chinese officials, have as much responsibility to ensure the continuation of those values and freedoms as they do the economic fundamentals which have in equal measure allowed them to prosper.
The community will no doubt note that while a number of businessmen have chosen to criticise the Governor on the basis of something that he has never said, they did not band together to write similar letters of protest when threats were made to our human rights legislation, the independence of the judiciary, the political neutrality of the civil service and to our democratic institutions. There is still time for them to do
so.
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