XN000022-1986-12-15 — Page 3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1986

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FAMILIARISATION WILL BE INITIAL TASK

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THE FIRST JOB OF THE NEXT GOVERNOR WILL BE TO BRING HIMSELF UP-TO-DATE WITH WHAT IS GOING ON IN HONG KONG, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OPENING THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS, SIR DAVID SAID THE NEW GOVERNOR WOULD FIRST KEEP ABREAST WITH +WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SENSE, WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE POLITICAL SENSE, AND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH REGARD TO THE BUILDING OF HONG KONG FOR THE FUTURE THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF HONG KONG.+

+ HONG KONG NOW IS A HIGHLY COMPLICATED PLACE, AND IT WILL TAKE HIM SOME TIME TO READ HIMSELF IN, HE SAID.

ASKED ABOUT BUILDING OF RELATIONS WITH CHINA AS A PRIORITY FOR THE NEW GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID SAID: +AGAIN, YOU CAN'T SAY THAT ONE THING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER. ALL THESE FACTORS ARE IMPORTANT.+

QUERIED ABOUT CONSIDERATION TO BE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNMENT TO THE RESULT OF DISCUSSIONS IN THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE ABOUT HONG KONG'S POLITICAL SYSTEM, SIR DAVID SAID THERE WAS A CONSIDERABLE HONG KONG COMPONENT IN THE DRAFTING COMMITTEE.

+ AND THE DRAFTING COMMITTEE ARE ADVISED BY 180 PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WHO FORM THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE. THEY ARE PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG, THEY'LL BE SPEAKING IN THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING COMMITTEE AND THEY'LL ALSO BE SPEAKING IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE HONG KONG SYSTEM,+ HE SAID.

+SO THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DUALITY, IF YOU LIKE.+

WHEN ASKED IF THERE WOULD BE A NEW POST OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID SAID THIS WAS SPECULATION.

+ I THINK OUR IMPORTANT TASK NOW IS TO WAIT PATIENTLY UNTIL THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW GOVERNOR IS ANNOUNCED, AND NOT TO SPECULATE TOO WILDLY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, HE SAID.

AS TO WHETHER THERE WOULD BE A WIDE-RANGING RESHUFFLE, AND THE NUMBER OF OFFICIALS TO BE AFFECTED, THE ACTING GOVERNOR SAID: + IF A NUMBER OF PEOPLE LEAVE THE GOVERNMENT FOR WHATEVER REASON OR ANOTHER, THEN OBVIOUSLY THERE HAS TO BE QUITE A SHIFT OF PEOPLE OCCUPYING THE KEY POSTS IN THE GOVERNMENT. THIS MUST BE OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE, AND IT'S THAT WHICH WILL CONCERN US OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND MONTHS, BUT THE FIRST THING TO DO IS TO WAIT UNTIL WE HAVE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW GOVERNOR.

+THERE ARE ONE OR TWO OBVIOUS KEY FIGURES IN THIS, AND TO MENTION ONE PARTICULAR APPOINTMENT WHICH WE ALL KNOW ABOUT, THAT IS, THE COMMISSIONER IN LONDON WILL BE RETIRING AND HE HAS TO BE REPLACED. WE HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE TO REPLACE HIM, AND THEN WE HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE TO REPLACE HIM. SO YOU KNOW THERE IS A KNOCK-ON EFFECT TO ALL THESE APPOINTMENTS.+