XN000022-1987-04-24 — Page 2

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 1987

GOVERNMENT HAS NO PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ON POLITICAL REVIEW

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD NO PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING TO COME OUT OF THE REVIEW ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.

SIR DAVID WAS ASKED BY REPORTERS ON ARRIVING AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BUILDING FOR A LUNCHEON WITH OMELCO MEMBERS TO COMMENT ON REMARKS MADE BY THE SENIOR EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER, SIR S.Y. CHUNG, YESTERDAY.

SIR DAVID SAID HE THOUGHT THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON THE REVIEW HAD BEEN MADE VERY CLEAR A NUMBER OF TIMES.

+ IT'S A REVIEW WHICH IS COVERING A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES. THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO COME OUT OF IT. IN MAKING ITS DECISION AT THE END OF THE PROCESS OF REVIEW, THE GOVERNMENT HAS SAID THAT IT WOULD TAKE FULLY INTO ACCOUNT THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON ALL OF THOSE ISSUES, HE SAID.

MEANWHILE, THE DEPUTY CHIEF SECRETARY, MR JOHN CHAN, WAS ALSO INTERVIEWED BY RTHK TODAY ON SIR S.Y. CHUNG'S REMARKS.

WHEN ASKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S REACTIONS TO THE REMARKS, MR CHAN SAID:

+AS SIR S.Y. HAS HIMSELF MADE CLEAR, HE WAS STATING HIS PERSONAL VIEWS, AS MANY OTHERS IN HONG KONG HAVE DONE AND NO DOUBT WILL CONTINUE TO DO. INDEED THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE ENCOURAGING EVERYBODY TO STATE HIS VIEWS - THAT'S THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE GREEN PAPER EXERCISE, AND THAT'S THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY OFFICE.+

ASKED WHETHER DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988 WAS EFFECTIVELY BEING RULED OUT, MR CHAN SAID:

+THE GOVERNMENT'S OWN POSITION ON THIS IS VERY CLEAR, AND HAS ALREADY BEEN REITERATED MANY TIMES AND I WOULD DO IT ONCE MORE: THE 1987 REVIEW WILL BE A GENUINE REVIEW, THERE ARE NO PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ON OUR PART, NO PRE-DETERMINATION OF THE OUTCOME AND FULL ACCOUNT WILL BE TAKEN OF THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,+

+THE OPTION OF INTRODUCING SOME ELEMENT OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988 WILL BE CONTAINED IN THE GREEN PAPER. SO WILL THE OPTION OF HAVING NO CHANGE. THERE WILL INDEED BE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS.

+ IN THE GREEN PAPER, WE WILL NOT BE LEADING PUBLIC OPINION TOWARDS, OR AWAY FROM, ANY OF THOSE OPTIONS.

'+LET'S NOT