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OF LEGCO YESTERDAY. NOW THAT IS QUITE UNIQUE. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY PARALLEL TO IT IN THE WORLD. IT IS UP TO YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENTS, INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, OVER THE YEARS AHEAD, AND NATURALLY IN THAT YOU WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO ENSURE SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997. SO I AM NOT PREACHING EITHER FOR WESTMINSTER OR AGAINST WESTMINSTER. I AM JUST SAYING THAT IT IS A MATTER THAT YOU ALL, THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, HAVE GOT TO THINK ABOUT AND THROUGH THE MANY CHANNELS THAT ARE OPEN TO YOU MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN.

MR ROBERTS: WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR JUST TWO OR THREE QUESTIONS.

QUESTION:

STEPHEN MORGAN FROM THE HONG KONG STANDARD: MR RENTON, ON YOUR ARRIVAL HERE YOU SAID THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD HONOUR ITS OBLIGATIONS TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. DOES THIS INCLUDE AN OBLIGATION TO BRING ABOUT THE SAME RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION THAT YOUR OWN CONSTITUENTS HAVE IN ELECTING YOU TO YOUR POSITION, THAT IS, CAN WE SEE OR WOULD YOU SUPPORT A DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECT ELECTIONS HERE IN HONG KONG?

MR RENTON: WELL, YOU REALLY BRING ME BACK VERY STRONGLY, AND

I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT MYSELF, WE HAVE ONLY A LITTLE TIME TO GO, BUT TO THE QUESTIÓN I HAVE JUST ANSWERED. I THINK THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN HONG KONG, MUST BOTH REFLECT THE WISHES AND DESIRES OF THE HÔNG KONG PEOPLE. THAT IT MUST ALSO BE AIMED TO PROMOTE AND CONTINUE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY THAT IS AT THE HEART OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE LAST GENERATION. NOW BECAUSE I AM A PRODUCT OF A SYSTEM THAT HAS EVOLVED SINCE SIMON DE MONTFORT, THE FIRST CALLED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BOROUGHS TO WESTMINSTER IN 1265, I REALLY DO NOT THINK THAT IT IS IN ANY WAY PART OF BRITAIN'S MORAL COMMITMENT TO SELL OR TRY AND ENFORCE THE SAME SYSTEM HERE IN HONG KONG. WHAT I THINK OUR JOB TO DO QUITE SIMPLY IS WITH AND THROUGH YOUR GOVERNMENT, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, TO ADVISE IF OUR ADVICE IS ASKED, AND TO HELP YOU DEVELOP THE SORT OF SYSTEM THAT SUITS HONG KONG AND REFLECTS THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

QUESTION (BY STEPHEN MORGAN): BUT HOW CAN THIS OCCUR WHEN MOST

PEOPLE IN HONG KONG DO NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE DIRECTLY IN THE WAY IN WHICH HONG KONG IS RUN?

MR RENTON: I FIND ON THE BASIS OF FOUR DAYS HERE THAT RATHER

HARD TO ACCEPT. UMELCO IS THERE, THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, AT ANY TIME TO RECEIVE THE VIEWS OF ANY PERSON

IN HONG KONG. THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT CAN BE DISCUSSED AT DISTRICT BOARD LEVEL. I UNDERSTAND, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT ONE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS IS DISCUSSING TODAY THE QUESTION OF BN(0) PASSPORTS. I MEAN, SURELY THERE IS NO SHORTAGE NOW THROUGH REPRESENTATIVES EITHER ON THE URBAN OR REGIONAL COUNCILS, THE DISTRICT BOARDS, OR DIRECTLY TO UMELCO, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF AVENUES FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE THEIR VIEWS KNOWN, AND

/MY IMPRESSION