XN000022-1984-10-25 — Page 19

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1984

TO MAINTAIN STABILITY FOR 13 YEARS, HE SAID, WE MUST AVOID OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM FROM BEING WRECKED, GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE POWER FROM BEING UNDERMINED, POLICY PLANS FROM BEING ADVERSELY AFFECTED IN THEIR IMPLEMENTATION AND LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST WE MUST CHECK THE OUTBREAK OF ANY ECONOMIC CRISIS.

+

+THUS. THE PRIMARY TASK OF THE GOVERNMENT FROM NOW ON IS TO ENSURE THAT NOTHING DISTURBS AND UPSETS THE STABILITY OF HONG KONG IN THE REMAINING 13 YEARS. WITHOUT WHICH ONE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND THE SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 1997, + HE SAID.

+WE MUST INTRODUCE CHANGES IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO ADJUST TO THE NEW SITUATION AND EFFECT A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997, + HE SUGGESTED.

MEANWHILE, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD GUIDE THE PEOPLE TO TAKE UP ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS WELL AS TO CULTIVATE THEIR INTEREST AND TRAIN UP THEIR ABILITIES IN THESE AREAS, HE SAID.

+THE BEST WAY TO DO SO IS TO ENLARGE MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL INITIALLY THROUGH INDIRECT ELECTIONS AND TO INCREASE THE POWERS OF ITS COUNCILLORS.+

ON THE COMING DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS, MR YEUNG SAID HE EARNESTLY HOPED ELECTORS WOULD MAKE AN ALL-OUT EFFORT TO RESPOND AND TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE.

HE SAID HE WAS CONFIDENT THE ELECTIONS IN 1985 WOULD BE WELL SUPPORTED.

MR YEUNG SAID THE INTRODUCTION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (POWERS AND PRIVILEGES) BILL WAS A WELL-CONCEIVED IDEA, AND HE ALSO WELCOMED THE MOVE OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD ITS HEARINGS OF EVIDENCE IN PUBLIC.

+TO CONDUCT OPEN EXAMINATION OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE WILL, ON THE ONE HAND, HELP REMEDY SHORTFALLS, AND ON THE OTHER, DEMONSTRATE JUSTICE AND IMPARTIALITY, + HE SAID.

MR YEUNG ALSO REGARDED GOVERNMENT'S MEASURES TO COPE WITH ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES AS WISE AND SENSIBLE. HE BELIEVED THE GOVERNMENT WOULD FOLLOW ITS SET POLICIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND CARRY ON WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF VARIOUS SOCIAL PROGRAMMES AS LONG AS OUR ECONOMY KEPT ITS UPWARD TREND.

+OBVIOUSLY, HONG KONG IS HEADING TOWARDS A HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT,+

HE SAID.

THE VARIOUS