XN000022-1987-11-18 — Page 19

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1987

PAY MORE ATTENTION TO QUALITY OF VIEWS

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF THE VIEWS SUBMITTED TO THE SURVEY OFFICE, RATHER THAN THE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS, IN ITS ASSESSMENT OF THE SURVEY REPORT, THE HON NGAI SHIV-KIT SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

CONCEDING THAT THE 130,000-ODD RESPONSES TO THE SURVEY OFFICE, AND THE 220,000 SIGNATUREB, MIGHT NOT SIGNIFY A GROWING POLITICAL AWARENESS AMONG RESIDENTS, OR CONSCIOUS EFFORTS OF THE MASS TO SUPPORT A WORTHY CAUSE, MR NGAI TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT IN IMPORTANT ISSUES LIKE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS, THE FINAL DECISION MUST BE BASED LARGELY ON RATIONALISATION.

DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988

STRESSINGO THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF WAS A HASTY AND RISKY STEP TO TAKE, MR NGAI BAIV THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CAREFULLY ASCERTAIN THE CONTENT OF POPULAR WILL AND HOW EFFECTIVE THE MECHANISM FOR EXPRESSING THIS WILL WAS.

HE WARNED THAT WITH THE GENERAL LACK OF POLITICAL AWARENESS AND GENERAL INDIFFERENCE TO POLITICAL 188UES AMONG THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, IT COULD BE DISASTROUS TO THE WELL-BEING OF THE WHOLE COMMUNITY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO ACT ACCORDING TO ANY APPARENT UNITY.

"THERE HAS BEEN MUCH OVBR-REACTION TO THE BURVEY REPORT EVER SINCE ITS PUBLICATION TWO WEEKS AGO. THOSE WHO HAVE PLEDGED THEIR FAITH TO WINNING MAJORITY SUPPORT FOR DIRECT ELECTION IN 1988 ARH UNDERSTANDABLY FRUSTRATED BY THE OUTCOME OF THE SURVEY.

FOR то

"FOR THOSE WHO HAVE COME FORWARD TO ACCUSE THE GOVERNMENT BRING INSINCERE AND BIASED IN THIS CONSULTATION EXERCISE, I REGRET SAY THAT THEIR VINDICTIVE ACCUSATIONS COULD HAVE BEEN MISFIRED. FOR IT WILL BF TOTALLY UNTHINKABle FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO BABE ITS DECISION AS TO INITIATI POLITICAL RIFORMS OR NOT, PURELY ON THE OUTCOME OF A SURVEY AND NOTHING ELSE," HE SAID.

MR NGAI EMPHASISED THAT HONG KONG'S EXPORT-ORIENTED BCONOMY WAS VULNERABLE TO TOO MANY EXTERNAL FACTORS BEYOND OUR CONTROL AND WE SIMPLY COULD NOT AFFORD TO EXPERIMENT WITH POLITICAL REFORMS AND GAMBLE ON THE FUTURE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF OUR COMMUNITY,

OUR

ANOTHER REALITY 19 TILE QUESTION OF CONVERGENCE OF POLITICAL SYSTEM WITH THE BASIC LAW WHICH SHALL BE WITH US IN THE RUN-UP TO 1997, HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE QUESTION HAD ΤΟ BK ADDRESSED IN THE FORTHCOMING WHITE PAPER ON OUR FUTURE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT.

FINALLY, MR NGAI REMINDED THE COUNCIL THAT THE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMY HAD BEEN BUILT UPON A STABLE AND PREDICTABLE POLITICAL STRUCTURE AND SAID HE BELIEVED THE EXISTING GOVERNMENT SYSTEM COULD ENSURE A PRAGMATIC AND EFFICIENT FUNCTIONING OF THE ADMINISTRATION.

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