XN000022-1988-02-10 — Page 8

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1988

"IN SHAPING THAT DEVELOPMENT, WE HAVE OPY SYSTEMS WHICH WORK WELL IN OTHER PLACES, LIKE OTHER PLACES, HE SAID.

•

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SOUGHT NOT MERELY TO FOR HIONG KONG IS NOT

"INSTEAD, WE HAVE CONSCIOUSLY SOUGHT TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM WHICH ITS OWN IS SUITED TO HONG KONG'S OWN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND MEETS

PARTICULAR THE SPECIAL NEEDS: IN

NEED TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY OF WITH THE TREMENDOUS SOCIAL POLICIES TO ENABLE US TO DEAL WHICH HAVE FOLLOWED FROM THE VAST INCREASE IN OUR POPULATION OVER LAST FORTY YEARS."

PROBLEMS

THE

WERE FEARFUL THAT THE DISSENSION WITHIN THE POLICIES WHICH

THOSE WHO SIR DAVID SAID THERE WERE GROWTH OF MORE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS WOULD BRING COMMUNITY AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, DISCONTINUITY IN THE HAD PROVED SO SUCCESSFUL IN THE PAST.

SAID.

"I DO NOT BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF DISSENTING VOICES,

H HE

"RATHER WE MUST BUILD INSTITUTIONS WHICH, ON THE ONE HAND,

ACCOMMODATE DIFFERING OPINIONS STRONG ENOUGH IN THEMSELVES TO

ARE

WITH

TOLERANCE AND, ON THE OTHER, ALLOW FOR THE MAJORITY TO ENDORSE BE IN THE POLICIES WHICH, ALTHOUGH UNPOPULAR WITH SOME, ARE SEEN TO BEST INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

A

EXPERIENCE ER DAVID NOTED THAT

IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

ON OPINION WOULD SUGGEST THAT, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE DIFFERENCES OF

OF RANGE OF TOPICS, THE MAIN THRUST

THE

POLICIES GOVERNMENT'S DID COMMAND THE SUPPORT OF A WIDE MAJORITY OF MEMBERS OF AND INDLED OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

THE COUNCIL,

HE ADDED THAT HE COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT FUTURE MEMBERS

WOULD ELECTED,

WISH LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HOWEVER THEY WERE

WITH EXPERIMENTING HONG KONG'S CONTINUING SUCCESS AT RISK BY DIFFERENT POLICIES FROM THOSE WHICH

50 CLEARLY BENEFITTED

COMMUNITY OVER RECENT DECADES.

HAD

OF THE TO PUT VASTLY THE

SIR DAVID STRESSED IN HIS SPEECH THAT THE CONSULTATIVE HAD BEEN AT THE HEART OF HONG KONG'S SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT.

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PROCESS