XN000022-1987-01-16 — Page 40

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1987

SIR DAVID: KNOW THAT THERE ARE VERY STRONG FEELINGS ABOUT THE

1981 ACT. ODDLY ENOUGH AS POLITICAL ADVISER, MY JOB, AS

THE PRESENT POLITICAL ADVISER'S JOB, WAS ESSENTIALLY DEALING WITH THE EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIP OF HONG KONG, AND IN PARTICULAR WITH CHINA, SO IT WAS THAT SIDE OF THINGS RATHER THAN THE BRITISH NATIONALITY ACT. FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH, FOR HISTORICAL RECORD, I WAS NOT ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN HONG KONG GOVERNMENT DISCUSSIONS OF THAT. I THINK, ON NATIONALITY THE VARIOUS ARRANGEMENTS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE, BOTH IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT AND THEN LATER IN THE ORDER IN COUNCIL WHICH WAS PASSED IN THE UK PARLIAMENT LAST YEAR, THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WERE MADE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT WERE, I THINK, VERY GOOD ARRANGEMENTS IN TERMS OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR PASSPORT, RIGHT OF ABODE ETC. AND I THINK THE ARRANGEMENTS IN THE NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL AND THE ASSURANCES WHICH WERE GIVEN BY BRITISH MINISTERS AT THAT TIME CONSTITUTE A BROADLY ACCEPTABLE PACKAGE.

TSUI PUI-YING (COMMERCIAL RADIO): SIR DAVID, CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT

YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON THE FORTHCOMING REVIEW OF OUR FUTURE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT? DO YOU THINK IT IS RIGHT TIME FOR US TO HAVE DIRECT ELECTION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION IN 19887

SIR DAVID I AM SORRY TO SAY, BUT I THINK ACTUALLY I WAS ASKED

THAT QUESTION IN ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME WORDS BEFORE, SO FORGIVE ME IF I REPEAT, BUT RATHER SHORTER, THE ANSWER, THAT THERE WILL BE A REVIEW THIS YEAR AND THAT WILL BE A GENUINE REVIEW AND THE OBJECT IS TO ASCERTAIN THE OPINIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. BEFORE THAT IS DONE, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE FOR ME TO TRY TO PRODUCE HYPOTHETICAL ANSWERS FROM WHAT MIGHT EMERGE FROM THE REVIEW, THE ONLY POINT

I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT THE VIEWS EXPRESSED DURING THE REVIEW WILL BE TAKEN VERY FULLY INTO ACCOUNT IN THE DECISIONS THAT WILL FOLLOW FROM IT.

C.T. HUNG (ASIAWEEK) SIR, IS THE RE-DEVELOPMENT OF THE WALLED CITY, WHICH YOU ARE REPORTED TO HAVE, HAVING ARRANGED WITH CHINA AND IN WHICH HONG KONG PEOPLE PAY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR A PARK, A GOOD DEAL FOR HONG KONG?

SIR DAVID: I THINK THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG MUST JUDGE WHETHER

IT'S A GOOD DEAL FOR HONG KONG. PERSONALLY, I'M DELIGHTED THAT A PROBLEM, AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM, A HEALTH PROBLEM, ALL SORTS OF OTHER PROBLEMS WHICH HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND WHICH UP TO NOW IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH, IS NOW BEING DEALT WITH. PERSONALLY I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WHICH WE SHOULD ALL BE VERY PLEASED ABOUT BUT FROM THE TENOR OF YOUR QUESTION YOU SUGGEST THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW. I'M SURE, IF THEY HAVE, THAT THEY WILL EXPRESS IT. PERSONALLY I THINK IT'S AN EXTREMELY GOOD SIGN THAT IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THAT IT'S GOING TO BE DEALT WITH.

/CHAN STU-KUEN

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