XN000022-1985-11-27 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1985

WE HAD TO CONSIDER WHETHER IT HAD ACHIEVED THE DESIRED OBJECTIVE OF RETURNING THE SORT OF CANDIDATES WITH THE RIGHT SORT OF CALIBRE TO TAKE UP THE JOB AS A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, HE ADDED.

+ IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH INDIRECT ELECTIONS, WE SHOULD CONSIDER WHETHER WE CAN SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS AND TO IMPROVE ON THE SYSTEM, + HE SAID.

HE QUESTIONED THE REAL RATIONALE OF DUMPING THE INDIRECT ELECTION SYSTEM WITHOUT GIVING IT A FAIR EXAMINATION.

+SAVE FOR IDEOLOGICAL BELIEFS, I MUST CONFESS I FAIL TO SEE ANY PRAGMATIC REASON WHY HONG KONG NEEDS TO BE THAT IMPATIENT TO ESTABLISH BEYOND ANY DOUBT THE DESIRABILITY OF DIRECT ELECTIONS,+ HE SAID.

HE SAID THAT EVEN IF WE EVENTUALLY CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS A CASE FOR SOME SORT OF TRIALS IN DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE FUTURE, WE STILL HAD TO FACE THE FACT THAT HONG KONG WAS NOT AND WOULD NOT BECOME AN INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN STATE.

+wE SURVIVED AND THRIVED ECONOMICALLY WITHOUT HAVING TO UNDERTAKE POLITICAL EXPERIMENTATION,

+LET US NOT NOW PREMATURELY INTRODUCE DRASTIC CHANGES TO OUR FORMULA FOR SUCCESS, + HE SAID.

+ IF EVER OUR PROSPERITY IS THREATENED THROUGH OUR OWN IMPATIENCE, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE TWIN OBJECTIVE OF DEVELOPING FOR THE FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT A POLITICAL STRUCTURE THAT WOULD BE RESPECTED BY BOTH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND BY THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF CHINA, AND ONE THAT WOULD BE MANIFESTLY CAPABLE OF FOSTER ING HONG KONG'S STATUS AS A STABLE AND PROSPEROUS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL CENTRE, HE SAID.

CONCLUD ING. MR CHEONG ASKED THE LOCAL MEDIA TO CONSIDER RE-EXAMINING WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD OVER ALLOCATED RESOURCES TO COVER THE OVERHEATED POLITICAL SCENE.

REFERRING TO THE QUESTIONS PUT TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND HIS UNOFFICIAL COLLEAGUES, HE SAID MANY OF THEM WERE FOCUSSED ON ISSUES WHICH MIGHT WELL BE PREMATURE FOR ANY RESPONSIBLE PUBLIC FIGURE TO COMMIT OR EVEN COMMENT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

+IN MY VIEW SUCH INTENSE POLITICAL HEAT AND SPECULATIVE QUESTIONING IS NOT CONDUCIVE FOR HONG KONG TO FIND THE MUCH NEEDED BALANCED ANSWERS TO SO MANY SENSITIVE AND THORNY ISSUES THE SOLUTION OF WHICH WILL BE CRITICAL TO OUR FUTURE WELL BEING,+ HE ADDED.

MR CHEONG SAID HE COULD FULLY UNDERSTAND POLITICS WAS MORE LIABLE TO BREED CONTROVERSIES WHICH MADE INTERESTING OR EVEN EXCITING READING. YET, HE SAID, HONG KONG DID HAVE OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES WHICH MIGHT BE EQUALLY INTERESTING TO READERS.

/+EVEN THE