THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1985
*WE MUST ALSO STAY TUNED IN, AS IT WERE, TO THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. AS MR BILL BROWN HAS SAID, AND NOT BE CAUGHT WITHOUT A PAIR OF MR TIEN'S TROUSERS ON, SECURELY FASTENED.
+1 ALSO WISH TO ENDORSE MR BILL BROWN'S COMMENTS ON MR EDWARD HEATH'S REMARKS ABOUT THE WHITE PAPER AND THE ATTITUDE OF MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG. THE TONE OF THE WHITE PAPER DOES NOT IMPLY THAT WE ARE DOING THIS GRUDGINGLY, AND THE SPEECHES MADE BY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS IN THIS DEBATE GIVE THE LIE TO ANY ACCUSATION THAT THEY DO NOT SUPPORT WHOLEHEARTEDLY, AT LEAST THE OBJECTIVES, OF THE WHITE PAPER.
+TO BE CAUTIOUS AND CAREFUL IN OUR APPROACH, TO ACHIEVING THESE OBJECTIVES, IS SENSIBLE AND WISE. IT IS NOT GRUDGING.
WE ARE, AFTER ALL, MAKING HISTORY, CONSTITUTIONAL RISTORY, AND WE HAVE, TO BE, THEREFORE, DELIBERATE IN OUR APPROACH. AND AS MR F.K. HU HAS POINTED OUT, AND AS MISS TAM AGREED, THE ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY UMELCO DURING THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, SIR, DURING THE NEXT 12 YEARS, WILL CONTINUE TO BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
+SOME MEMBERS, IN PARTICULAR MRS SELINA CHOW AND MR ALLEN LEE, AND MISS TAM AND MR CHAN YING-LUN TO SOME EXTENT, HAVE EXPRESSED DISAPPOINTMENT THAT THE WHITE PAPER DOES NOT TAKE A SUFFICIENTLY STRATEGIC VIEW, THAT IS TO SAY THEY ARE NONE TOO HAPPY THAT THE WHITE PAPER DOES NOT CONTAIN OVERALL PLANS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG UP TO 1997, AND THAT IT DOES NOT DEAL WITH SUCH QUESTIONS AS THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE PROCESS OF ASSEMBLING THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE FUTURE, THE POSSIBILITY OF A MINISTERIAL SYSTEM SEEN AS ONE WAY OF BRIDGE-BUILDING BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE AND THE LEGISLATURE, THE FUTURE COMPOSITION OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AND THE FUTURE POSITION OF THE GOVERNOR.
+OTHER MEMBERS UNDERSTOOD, PARTICULARLY MRS RITA FAN IN HER THOUGHTFUL SPEECH, AND AS I EXPLAINED IN MY SPEECH YESTERDAY, ALL THESE INTER-CONNECTED QUESTIONS WOULD BE CONSIDERED, WILL BE CONSIDERED, IN THE REVIEW IN 1987. I AM SURE MR CHAN YING-LUN WOULD AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE WRONG FOR ME TO ATTEMPT TO PREDICT THE OUTCOME OF THAT REVIEW AT THIS TIME. AND AS DR HO KAM-FAI STRESSED, WE DO NEED A PHASED PROGRAMME WITH A FLEXIBLE TIME FRAME.
+THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE WHITE PAPER WE HAVE BEEN DEBATING IS TO SET OUT THE PLANS FOR THE FIRST STAGE IN THE PROCESS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG BETWEEN NOW AND 1997. I WOULD NOT GO QUITE AS FAR AS DR KIM CHAM AS TO DESCRIBE THIS FIRST STAGE AS MERELY AN EXPERIMENTAL STAGE. IT IS MORE THAN THAT.
+HOW MANY MORE STAGES THERE WILL BE, AND WITHIN WHAT TIME FRAME, WE SHOULD NOT SEEK TO ANTICIPATE BEFORE THE 1987 REVIEW.
+ P.K. YEING
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