XN000022-1987-07-15 — Page 44

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1987

FURTHER MAJOR CHANGES TO PRESENT SYSTEM DUBIOUS

*

HON-KWAN TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY THE HON CHENG

DUBIOUS HE FELT EXTREMELY

ABOUT THE WISDOM OF (WEDNESDAY) THAT

ΤΟ THE SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBARKING ON FURTHER MAJOR CHANGES GOVERNMENT NOW.

MR CHENG SAID

SPEAKING DURING THE MOTION ON THE GREEN PAPER, HE WAS OPPOSED TO MAKING MAJOR CHANGES TO A SYSTEM WHICH HAD NOT ADEQUATELY TESTED.

THE STRUCTURES OF

BREN

REPRESENTATIVE

"HAVE WE ADEQUATELY TESTED GOVERNMENT WHICH HAVE ONLY BEEN IN USE FOR TWO YEARS?" HE QUESTIONED.

FIELD.

HE SAID TWO YEARS WAS AN ABNORMALLY SHORT TESTING TIME IN

"I AM AWARE OF THE PRESSURES ON US TO VIABLE AND ENDURING SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE IN OPERATION TOWARDS 1997.

"BUT IF WE WE ARE

THIS

TRY TO GET AN AGREED, GOVERNMENT IN PLACE AND

TO THE INNOVATIONS

IN

WERE TO APPLY NORMAL TIME STANDARDS

STRUCTURES

NOW

THE MAJOR USING, FOLLOWING IMPLEMENTED IN 1985, I BELIEVE WE WOULD STILL REGARD THEM AS BEING THE 'SHAKEDOWN' PHASE," HE NOTED.

MR CHENG ADDED

THAT

HE WAS

CAUTIOUS ABOUT STARTING MAJOR CHANGES TO THE PRESENT SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THREE OTHER FACTORS.

NO FIRSTLY, WHILE

POLITICAL SYSTEM MIGHT BE FUNCTIONING OUR PERFECTLY, HE WAS NEVERTHELESS CONSCIOUS OF THE BEST FEATURES

DEVELOPED COMMUNITY WITH FRAMEWORK WHICH HAD BROUGHT A SUCCESSFULLY PROSPERITY AND STABILITY.

STRESS,

SECONDLY, IMMEDIATE RADICAL WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE SINO-BRITISH GREAT

AND

EXPLICITLY

CHANGE WOULD NOT BE CONSISTENT JOINT DECLARATION WHICH PLACED

ON CONTINUITY AND IMPLICITLY,

STEP-BY-STEP EVOLUTION OF OUR STRUCTURES.

THIRDLY, AND MOST IMPORTANT, HE BELIEVED

THAT IF SUBSTANTIAL ALMOST OF DRAFTING THE WOULD NOT BE COMPLETED

OR SWEEPING INNOVATIONS WERE INTRODUCED SOON SUCH A MOVE WOULD CERTAINLY BE INTERPRETED AS PRE-EMPTING THE PROCESS BASIC LAW FOR HONG KONG UNTIL 1990.

WHICH A PROCESS

ON THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS SAID THIS WOULD BE A MAJOR INNOVATION.

NEXT YEAR, MR CHENG

"THE ISSUE, AS I SEE IT IS WHETHER IN INTRODUCING THIS ELEMENT WE WOULD BE PUTTING THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS AT RISK,

TT

HE SAID.

HE SAID