XN000022-1987-11-24 — Page 27

CAROL BOGERT, OF NEWSWEEK: GOVERNOR, I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU IF YOU THINK YOU ARE A LAME DUCK BUT I AM SURE THAT YOU WOULD SAY "NO". AND YET THERE DOES SEEM TO BE AN IMPRESSION IN HONG KONG, AT LEAST IF YOU READ THE PAPERS, THAT THE BRITISH AUTHORITIES IN THIS TOWN HAVE INDEFINABLY LOST SOME KIND OF AUTHORITY IN RECENT MONTHS. NOW GIVEN THE AGREEMENT TO RETURN HONG KONG TO CHINA IN 1997, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOUR GOVERNMENT CAN DO TO REGAIN OR TO DISPEL THE IMAGE OF LAME DUCKERY? OR ARE YOU EFFECTIVELY CONSTRAINED FROM MAKING BOLD MOVES THAT SHOW YOU ARE A STRONG AND AUTHORITATIVE GOVERNMENT?

H.5. PARTS OF THAT QUESTION ARE A SORT OF "WHEN DID YOU STOP BEATING YOUR WIFE?" TYPE QUESTION! LET ME TRY TO ANSWER IT. FIRST OF ALL, A LOT OF YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF FUN RECENTLY WITH WILDFIRING OR DUCKSHOOTING AND BIG GAME HUNTING. SOMETIMES IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THIS TERM "LAME DUCK", WHICH IS AN AMERICAN TERM, IS SINGULARLY INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE IT IS NORMALLY USED TO DESCRIBE THE POSITION OF AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT RIGHT AT THE END OF HIS TERM OF OFFICE. THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS 10 YEARS TO RUN, THAT IS A REALITY. THAT IS, IN FACT, OVER TWICE THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT ANY BRITISH GOVERNMENT CAN EXPECT TO SURVIVE. IT IS MORE THAN TWICE THE LENGTH OF A PRESIDENTIAL TERM. IT IS RATHER LIKE TALKING ABOUT AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT AS BEING A "LAME DUCK", WHAT IS IT, TWO YEARS BEFORE HE IS FIRST ELECTED. NOW WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE TALK IN THESE TERMS. THE BEST THING, AS 1 SEE IT, IS FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO REMAIN AS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN BUILDING UP THE COMMUNITY, IN BUILDING UP THE ECONOMY AS IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN.

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IF YOU GO AND LOOK ROUND HONG KONG, YOU DON'T, I THINK, GET THE IMPRESSION OF A LAME DUCK CREATING ALL THAT IS GOING ON. THERE IS MASSIVE LONG-TERM PROGRAMMES, BUILDING ROADS, BUILDING TUNNELS, DEVELOPING THE CONTAINER PORT, LOOKING AHEAD TO BUILDING A NEW AIRPORT. THERE IS MASSIVE WORK GOING ON THROUGHOUT HONG KONG. THIS IS A VERY ACTIVE GOVERNMENT INDEED. WE DO FACE THE PROBLEM THAT THE PRESENT FORM OF ADMINISTRATION ONLY HAS 10 YEARS TO RUN. THE ONLY WAY THAT WE CAN REALISTICALLY DEAL WITH IT AS A GOVERNMENT IS TO REMAIN AS ACTIVE AND AS COMMITTED AS WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND AS I AM SURE WE ALWAYS WILL GO ON BEING.

DEALING WITH LEADERSHIP AND, SECONDLY,

STUART PALLISTER, OF ATV: SIR DAVID, QUALITIES, HOW DO YOU ASSESS YOUR PERFORMANCE SO FAR? REGARDING YOUR APPOINTMENT, DO YOU PLAN TO STAY HERE ONLY FOR A FIXED TERM? HAVE YOU IN EFFECT FIXED THE TERM, FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER?

H.E. TO ANSWER THE FIRST PART OF THE QUESTION, I DON'T ASSESS MY OWN PERFORMANCE, AT LEAST IN PUBLIC! THAT I LEAVE FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO DO. ON HOW LONG 1 INTEND TO STAY; THE APPOINTMENT OF A GOVERNOR IS PERHAPS WHAT IS CALLED THE QUEEN'S PLEASURE. IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THERE IS NO FIXED TERM. I SHALL STAY HERE AS LONG AS I ASKED TO STAY HERE AND AS LONG AS I FEEL THAT I CAN DO A GOOD JOB.

AM

MAGGIE NELSON, OF RTHK: DO YOU ACCEPT THAT HONG KONG'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE STOCK MARKET'S FOUR DAY CLOSURE? AND, WITH HINDSIGHT, DO YOU THINK THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE RETURNED FROM YOUR TRIP ABROAD BARLIER?

/Н.Е.