XN000022-1984-08-12 — Page 2

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 1934

GREEN PAPER HAS SET PEOPLE THINKING'

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THE GREEN PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT HAS MADE SOME PRACTICAL AND PRAGMATIC SUGGESTIONS TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

+ IT HAS PROVIDED A PLATFORM FROM WHICH WE CAN BEGIN TO BUILD A STABLE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT WITH THE CONFIDENCE PROVIDED BY THE DETAILED AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENTS OF CHINA AND GREAT BRITAIN, HE SAID.

MR AKERS-JONES WAS SPEAK ING ON THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF HONG KONG ITS DEVELOPMENT AND 1997+ AT A SYMPOSIUM ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG AFFAIRS SOCIETY.

+CLEARLY THE SYSTEM WE DEVELOP IN HONG KONG MUST BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE OVERALL STRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, HE SAID.

+ IT MUST BE STRONG IN ITS CONSTRUCTION, WITH ITS OWN SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND YET FRIENDLY ENOUGH SO THAT IT CAN LIVE COMFORTABLY AS ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE CONCEPT OF ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'.

+ THAT IS THE LONG TERM OBJECTIVE WHICH WE MUST RETAIN AS A BASIS FOR OUR OWN SYSTEM.+

+THE LARGER QUESTION BEFORE US IS HOW TO TRANSFER RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, TO PRESERVE HARMONY AND STABILITY IN THE COMMUNITY, AND TO ENSURE THAT OUR ECONOMY CONTINUES TO EXPAND AND OUR INDUSTRY PROSPER FOR WITHOUT THESE BASIC CONTRIBUTIONS, THE SOCIAL PROGRESS, WHICH IS THE FERVENT WISH OF ALL OUR PEOPLE, WILL NOT TAKE PLACE.

+THE GREEN PAPER IS NOT AN END BUT A BEGINNING OF

A PROCESS OF CHANGE. IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGED BECAUSE IT CONTAINS NO BROAD VISION OF THE FUTURE, NO SET OF ANSWERS TO ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE IN PEOPLE'S MINDS.+

MR AKERS-JONES NOTED THAT THE PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER HAS STIMULATED THINKING ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS, ABOUT A MINISTERIAL+ SYSTEM, ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS AND ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNOR.

+BUT IT HAS ALREADY DONE ONE THING IT HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON THE ISSUES WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED; IT HAS SET THE PEOPLE THINKING, + HE SAID.

HE STRESSED THAT PROPOSALS IN THE GREEN PAPER WERE THE CULMINATION AT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL OF A PROCESS WHICH STARTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

/AND THE