XN000022-1986-11-05 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1986

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+NOT ONLY WAS THE WORD CONSENSUS IN YOUR ADDRESS TAKEN COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTEXT, IT ALSO SEEMS THAT IN THEIR PUSH FOR A FUTURE STRUCTURE THAT WILL BE MADE UP OF LARGELY ELECTED MEMBERS IN THIS COUNCIL, QUITE A NUMBER OF SUCH IDEALISTS AND INTELLECTUALS HAVE BEEN THE NEED TO BLATANTLY MAKE UNFAIR ATTACKS ON THE APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL,+ HE SAID.

+THEY TRY TO PROPAGATE THE MESSAGE THAT BECAUSE APPOINTED MEMBERS SERVE THIS COUNCIL AT THE WISH OF THE GOVERNOR AND THAT IN ORDER TO RETAIN THE CHANCE OF BEING APPOINTED AGAIN, THEY WILL ALL TOE THE GOVERNMENT LINE WITHOUT REGARD TO THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE,+ HE SAID.

SUCH ATTACKS BORDERED ON A WHOLESALE QUESTIONING OF THE INTEGRITY OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS.

+ARE THESE ATTACKS NECESSARY? MUST HONG KONG BE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN TO SUIT JUST IDEALS? ARE THESE CONSTANT UNFAIR CRITICISMS AIMED AT DIVIDING THE COMMUNITY REALLY GOOD FOR THE STABILITY OF HONG KONG? MUST THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG BE LED DOWN A PATH OF CONFRONTATIONAL TURMOIL IN ORDER TO SATISFY THE IDEALISTIC THIRST OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO, DESPITE THE CAMOUFLAGE, ARE BASICALLY CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF DEMOCRACY AGAINST COMMUNISM'?+ HE ASKED.

MR CHEONG REFERRED TO THE SUCCESS HONG KONG HAD ENJOYED AS AN ENVIED CITY OF THE WORLD PRIOR TO THE 1985 SESSION WHEN THERE WAS NO ELECTED ELEMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND SAID THE AMOUNT OF FREEDOM AND RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONG KONG RANKED SECOND TO NONE IN ASIA.

ALL THESE WERE ACHIEVED WHILE ECONOMIC PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY HAD BEEN PHENOMENAL, HE NOTED.

+SUCH ACHIEVEMENTS ARE NOT JUST THE EFFORTS OF AN EFFICIENT ADMINISTRATION, THEY ARE ALSO THE FRUITS OF THE CONSCIENTIOUS WORK PUT IN BY APPOINTED MEMBERS IN THE LEGISLATURE, IN BOARDS AND COMMITTEES, IN DISTRICT BOARDS AND URBAN AND REGIONAL COUNCILS, AS WELL AS IN A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER BODIES, HE SAID.

RECOGNISING THAT MEMBERS OPERATED UNDER TRUE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES, MR CHEONG RECALLED THAT ANY DIFFERENCES IN VIEW WERE GIVEN A GOOD THRASHING OUT WITH THE MINORITY ACCEPTING THE MAJORITY VIEW WITH GRACE IN THE END BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WISH TO CREATE ANY TURMOIL OR TO FOSTER ANY REBELLIOUS SPIRIT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

+NOW, EVER SINCE HONG KONG PEOPLE RULING HONG KONG' HAS BEEN PROMISED, IT IS SAD TO HEAR AND READ THAT THE INTEGRITY OF APPOINTED MEMBERS HAS BEEN SO UNFAIRLY PUSHED TO THE GUTTER BY PEOPLE WHO ONLY HAVE THEIR BLINKERS ON IDEALS AND USE SUCH PRESSURISING TACTICS TO DEMORALISE THE SPIRIT OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THEIR OWN VERSION OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY, HE OBSERVED.

/+THESE CRITICA