XN000022-1986-11-05 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1986

+A SYSTEM OF PARTIAL DIRECT ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATURE WILL GIVE HIM A GREATER SENSE OF COMMITMENT TO AND MORE CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE, AND IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION UNDER THE +ONE COUNTRY-TWO SYSTEMS+ PRINCIPLE,+ HE ADDED.

COMMENTING ON FEARS THAT DIRECT ELECTION WOULD AFFECT HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, MR CHEONG-LEEN BELIEVED THAT IN THE RUN-UP TO 1997 AND BEYOND, SO LONG AS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS DID NOT EXCEED ONE-THIRD BY 1997, HONG KONG WOULD HAVE MUCH TO GAIN IN THE LONG TERM BY THUS CREATING ITS OWN UNIQUE SYSTEM OF DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED AND BROADLY REPRESENTATIVE SAR GOVERNMENT SUITED TO THE HONG KONG ENVIRONMENT.

HE ALSO STRESSED THAT THE GOVERNOR SHOULD WITHDRAW AS PRESIDENT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1988 AND THAT THE PRESIDING OFFICER SHOULD BE ELECTED FROM AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AND APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR.

TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG, MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID IT WAS VITAL THAT THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH WITHIN THE LAW AS ALREADY EXISTED SHOULD BE ENSHRINED IN THE FUTURE BASIC LAW.

FURTHERMORE THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA WITHIN THE LAW SHOULD EQUALLY BE ENSHRINED IN THE BASIC LAW, HE ADDED.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS A POSITIVE SIGN FOR THE FUTURE THAT THERE WAS INCREASED UNDERSTANDING AND RESTRAINT NOW BEING SHOWN BY THE LEADERS OF CHINA TOWARDS THE MORE VISIBLE POLITICAL AWARENESS DEVELOPING IN HONG KONG.

HE SAID +AS WE ENTER THE SECOND YEAR OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD, WE WILL HAVE TO FOCUS OUR THOUGHTS AND ENERGIES ON KEEPING HONG KONG POLITICALLY STABLE AND ECONOMICALLY PROSPEROUS, ON STRENGTHENING WHATEVER PERSONAL FREEDOMS AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES WE ALREADY ENJOY, AND ON BUILDING A STRONG AND BINDING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP THAT WILL STAND THE HONG KONG PEOPLE IN GOOD STEAD BY 1997 AND THEREAFTER.+

ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT. MR CHEONG-LEEN URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO STEP UP ITS PROMOTION EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE MORE OVERSEAS INVESTMENT, WHETHER INDUSTRIAL, HIGH-TECH, OR IN THE SERVICE OR OTHER TYPES OF INDUSTRIES, IN HONG KONG.

HE ALSO URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO EMBARK ON A PROGRAMME TO REACH OUT TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS WHO HAD EMIGRATED, IN PARTICULAR TO NORTH AMERICA, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO RETURN TO HONG KONG IN SEARCH OF NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

HE SAID