XN000022-1987-01-16 — Page 37

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1987

JAMES TAM

(SING PAO DAILY NEWS): SIR DAVID, IF THE OPINION OF THE HONG KONG GENERAL PUBLIC ON IMPORTANT ISSUES SUCH AS THE POLITICAL REVIEW IS NOT IDENTICAL WITH THOSE OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, HOW WILL YOU DO TO RESOLVE THE CONTRADICTION?

SIR DAVID: I THINK ONE SHOULDN'T ALWAYS LOOK FOR CONTRADICTIONS

BEFORE THEY OCCUR. THERE'S GOING TO BE AS YOU ALL KNOW A REVIEW DURING THIS YEAR, DURING 1987, AND THAT REVIEW AS HAS BEEN SAID MANY TIMES WILL BE A GENUINE AND A FAIR REVIEW, AND IT WILL ENDEAVOUR TO DISCOVER THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT POLITICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES. THE FIRST THING, I THINK, IS TO CARRY OUT THAT REVIEW AND SEE WHAT THOSE VIEWS ARE, AND THE VIEWS WILL BE TAKEN VERY FULLY INTO ACCOUNT IN THE DECISIONS THAT WILL FOLLOW THE GREEN PAPER EXERCISE.

NANCY LI (TVB): AS GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, WILL YOU PUT HONG KONG PEOPLE'S INTERESTS OR THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT INTERESTS AS TOP PRIORITY IN CASE THERE IS CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES? IS IT NATURAL THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT INTERESTS SHOULD RUN FIRST BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO SWEAR ALLEGIANCE AND LOYALTY TO THE QUEEN?

SIR DAVID: I HAVE JUST BEEN APPOINTED AS GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG,

I HOPE THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. PERHAPS I SHOULD SAY THAT THE QUEEN IS NOT JUST QUEEN OF UNITED KINGDOM BUT QUEEN OF HONG KONG AS WELL.

MICHAEL WONG (MING PAO DAILY NEWS) SIR, WE ARE TOLD THAT YOU DID FAVOUR THE

MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. WOULD YOU NOW FAVOUR THAT IN 1988 THE MAJORITY OF THE HONG KONG LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE ELECTED EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY SO THAT THE LEGCO DOES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG?

SIR DAVID: I HOPE ANSWERED OR AT LEAST PARTLY ANSWERED THAT

QUESTION A MOMENT AGO WHEN I SAID THAT THERE WILL BE A REVIEW CARRIED OUT IN 1987. THAT REVIEW WILL BE GOING AHEAD. IT WILL BE A GENUINE REVIEW AND IT WILL SEEK TO GET THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. BEFORE THE REVIEW IS COMPLETED I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO TRY TO PRODUCE HYPOTHETICAL ANSWERS BASED ON WHAT COULD ONLY BE GUESSWORK AT WHAT THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE SHOWN TO BE DURING THE REVIEW PROCESS.

/TSUI MING-YUEN