XN000022-1985-01-10 — Page 10

ON

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1985

+THE ADMINISTRATION MUST NOT BE MISLED BY SUCH WELL-ORGANISED TACTICS AND MISREAD THE REAL IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS TO OUR FUTURE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, HE SAID.

+QUITE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE HAVE TOLD ME THAT THEY DO NOT REALLY MIND WHAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE WE HAVE IN FUTURE, AS LONG AS THEY HAVE THE CHANCE OF MAKING A REASONABLE LIVING TOGETHER WITH REASONABLE RETENTION OF THE IR PRESENT FREEDOMS.

+ IF TOTAL DEMOCRACY CAN REALLY BRING THEM THAT, SO BE IT, BUT WILL IT?+ MR CHEONG ASKED,

+WILL TOTAL DEMOCRACY BE SUITABLE IN HONG KONG?

+SHOULD WE REALLY TRANSPLANT LOCK STOCK AND BARREL TO HONG KONG WHAT SEEMS TO WORK WELL IN THE WEST WITHOUT DUE CONSIDERATION OF OUR OWN UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES?

+SHOULD TOTAL DEMOCRACY BE SOLD TO HONG KONG AS AN END IN ITSELF WITHOUT DUE REGARD FOR STABILITY AND PROSPERITY?

+THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS, ACCORDING TO MY OBSERVATIONS, IS A RESOUNDING 'NO',+ SAID MR CHEONG.

WE MUST THEREFORE APPROACH THIS ISSUE IN FUTURE WITH DUE CAUTION, HE SAID.

THERE MAY BE A CASE FOR AN ELEMENT OF DIRECT ELECTION TO OUR LEGISLATURE TO BE INTRODUCED IN FUTURE YEARS, BUT THE CASE FOR TOTAL WESTERN STYLE DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG WAS CERTAINLY FAR FROM PROVEN, LET ALONE WIDELY ACCEPTED.

MR CHEONG SAID SHORTLY AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION AND IN THE MIDST OF THE RETURN OF SOME DEGREE OF CONFIDENCE TO HONG KONG, SOME INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS AS WELL AS LOCAL PROFESSIONALS HAD SAID TO HIM THEY WERE NOT AFRAID THAT CHINA WOULD NOT HONOUR THE AGREEMENT- THEY WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE POSSIBILITY OF EROSION OF THE BRITISH RESOLVE IN GOVERNING HONG KONG EFFECTIVELY FOR THE NEXT 12 YEARS- THEY WERE NOT EVEN WORRIED THAT THE EXTERNAL LINKS OF HONG KONG AFTER 1997 WOULD DEVELOP INTO ANY UNSOLVABLE PROBLEMS.

WHAT THEY WERE MOST AFRAID OF WAS THE FACT THAT THE CRY OF TOTAL DEMOCRACY WOULD BE BLINDLY ACCEPTED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THEREBY SERIOUSLY AFFECTING HONG KONG'S OWN CHANCES OF SURVIVAL AND PROGRESS, MR CHEONG SAID.

SUCH WERE THE PREVAILING SENTIMENTS AMONG PEOPLE WHO CONSTITUTED AN IMPORTANT SECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY, AND IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY FOOLHARDY TO BRUSH THOSE SENTIMENTS ASIDE.

/THE SUCCESS

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