XN000022-1987-11-18 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1987

"WE HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE HAD NO

PRECONCEIVED IDEAS ON THE OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE AND THAT WE WOULD NOT LEAD PUBLIC OPINION, HE SAID.

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"INDEED, AT THE TIME OF THE PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER, WE WERE OFTEN CRITICISED FOR BEING TOO NEUTRAL.

"WE HAVE SOUGHT THE WIDEST POSSIBLE PUBLIC RESPONSE TO THE ISSUES IT CONTAINS.

'THAT RESPONSE HAS BEEN OF A SCALE UNPRECEDENTED IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY."

THE RESPONSE HAD BEEN METICULOUSLY RECORDED BY AN INDEPEDENT SURVEY OFFICE, UNDER THE CLOSE SCRUTINY OF INDEPENDENT MONITORS OF THE HIGHEST CALIBRE AND INTEGRITY.

THE PUBLIC OPINION SURVEYS COMMISSIONED BY THE SURVEY OFFICE, OVER WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAD HAD NO INFLUENCE WHATSOEVER, HAD BEEN CONDUCTED IMPARTIALLY BY PROFESSIONALS IN THEIR OWN FIELD.

SURVEY

"APART FROM LAYING DOWN THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE OFFICE BEFORE THE WHOLE EXERCISE STARTED, THE GOVERNMENT HAS IN NO WAY SOUGHT TO INFLUENCE THE WAY IN WHICH THE SURVEY OFFICE CARRIED OUT ITS TASK," HE STRESSED.

"AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, THE CONSPIRACY THEORY CAN BE SEEN FOR WHAT IT IS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT THOSE WHO PURSUE IT DO

SO BECAUSE THE CONCLUSIONS THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO DRAW FROM THE FACTS PRESENTED IN THE REPORT ARE NOT TO THEIR LIKING.

"IT FURTHER APPEARS THAT THE ONLY REPORT WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY THOSE CRITICS OUTSIDE THIS COUNCIL IS ONE WHICH IS TOTALLY IN ACCORD WITH THEIR OWN VIEWS."

TURNING TO THE COMMENTS THAT HAD BEEN MADE CONCERNING MCNAIR SURVEYS, WHICH HE SAID HAD TAKEN UP MUCH OF THE DEBATE, MR FORD SAID THAT IN ANY SURVEY OF THIS NATURE THERE WOULD INEVITABLY BE DIFFERENT JUDGEMENTS AS TO HOW PRECISELY ANY PARTICULAR QUESTION SHOULD BE PUT.

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" I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS PART OF MY TASK ΤΟ DEFEND THE PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT OF THE COMPANY OR THE APPROACH IT HAS ADOPTED, HE SAID.

"LISTENING TO MEMBERS' SPEECHES THIS AFTERNOON, IT IS CLEAR THAT WHILST THERE IS STRONG CRITICISM FROM SOME MEMBERS, OTHERS HAVE BEEN SATISFIED BY THE CAREFUL EXPLANATIONS WHICH THE COMPANY HAS PROVIDED.

"I SHOULD ASSURE MEMBERS THAT BOTH VIEWS WILL OF COURSE BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WHEN CONSIDERING THE REPORT."

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