WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1977
UNDER PRESENT DAY CIRCUMSTANCES IN HONG KONG, DR. CHUNG SAID, HE NOW THOUGHT A SEMI-COMPULSORY SCHEME MORE ACCEPTABLE AND PRACTICAL.
HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOWEVER HOW CONTRACTING OUT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. CONTRIBUTIONS ALREADY MADE BY THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED EN-BLOC INTO THE GOVERNMENT SCHEME IF THE EMPLOYEE WAS NOT TO BE PENALISED ON CHANGING FROM AN EMPLOYER WHO HAD NOT CONTRACTED OUT TO ONE WHO HAD, OR VICE VERSA.
+SHOULD THIS BE THE CASE, I HARDLY SEE THE WISDOM OR LOGIC OF ALLOWING ANY EMPLOYER TO CONTRACT OUT FROM THE GOVERNMENT SCHEME, HE SAID.
HE HAD NO STRONG VIEWS ON THE REQUIREMENT FOR EMPLOYEES TO CONTRIBUTE ALTHOUGH HE THOUGHT IT COULD JEOPARDIZE THE SUCCESS OF THE WHOLE SCHEME.
THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER WAS MOST CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROPOSALS CONTAINED IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S GREEN PAPER ON BRITISH NATIONALITY LAW.
IT WAS EXTREMELY UNFAIR AND IN FACT DANGEROUS TO THE WELL-BEING OF HONG KONG IF HONG KONG BRITISH CITIZENS WERE LUMPED TOGETHER WITH THOSE IN OTHER DEPENDENT TERRITORIES AND THOSE IN FORMER DEPENDENCIES AS BRITISH OVERSEAS CITIZEN.
HONG KONG DID NOT HAVE BEFORE IT THE OPTION OF BECOMING INDEPENDENT, HE SAID, WHILE THOSE RESIDENTS IN FORMER DEPENDENCIES BUT NOW INDÉPENDENT COMMONWEALTH NATIONS, HAD THE ALTERNATIVE CHOICE OF CITIZENSHIP OF THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES.
DR. CHUNG SAID THERE HAD BEEN A NUMBER OF ADVERSE COMMENTS IN THE PRESS, AND THE GREEN PAPER HAD NOT GONE UNNOTICED BY THE UNOFFICIALS OF BOTH THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS WHO HAD FORMED AN AD HOC GROUP TO STUDY IN DETAIL ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG KONG.
THE UNFAVOURABLE OBSERVATIONS OF UMELCO HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE KNOWN TO THE GOVERNOR AND TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
+ IT IS EARNESTLY HOPED THAT WITH GOODWILL AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN LONDON AND HONG KONG, WE CAN ARRIVE AT A CONCLUSION WHICH WILL MAINTAIN BOTH THE INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL CONFIDENCE
IN HONG KONG WHICH IS SO VITAL TO OUR FUTURE PROGRESS AND WELL-BEING, DR. CHUNG SAID.
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