XN000022-1989-01-09 — Page 2

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1989

CJ SPEAKS ON JUDICIARY RECRUITMENT

FOR MANY MORE YEARS AND AS A MATTER OF PRACTICALITY, HONG KONG WILL CONTINUE TO RELY ON EXPATRIATES OF HIGH STANDARD AT ALL LEVELS OF THE COURTS, THOUGH AS TIME PASSES THERE WILL BE MORE LOCAL OFFICERS AND CONSEQUENTLY A REDUCTION OF OUR NEED FOR OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE, THE CHIEF JUSTICE, SIR TI LIANG YANG, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

AS A LONG TERM OBJECTIVE, IT IS BOTH NECESSARY AND DESIRABLE THAT ALL HOLDERS OF JUDICIAL OFFICE SHOULD EVENTUALLY BE LOCAL PEOPLE.

HOWEVER, AS LONG AS WE STILL HAVE EXPATRIATES WITHIN OUR RANKS THEY SHOULD BE TREATED FAIRLY AND NOT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST; THEY ARE ENTITLED TO A FAIR CHANCE TO COMPETE WITH THEIR LOCAL COLLEAGUES ON MERITS, SIR TI LIANG SAID IN HIS ADDRESS AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 1989 LEGAL YEAR HELD AT THE CITY HALL.

THE CHIEF JUSTICE SAID THAT TO HIM, MERIT WAS ALL IMPORTANT AND IT WAS FOR THIS REASON THAT HE ALWAYS AVOIDED USING THE MUCH HACKNEYED WORD "LOCALISATION", WHICH TO HIM IMPLIED EMPLOYING OR ELEVATING A LOCAL PERSON SIMPLY BECAUSE HE WAS CHINESE.

RECRUITMENT

OF

"MUCH HAS BEEN SAID IN RECENT MONTHS ABOUT THE LOCALS INTO THE JUDICIARY. IT IS THEREFORE APPROPRIATE THAT I SHOULD STATE IN BROAD TERMS WHAT MY OWN VIEWS ARE ON THE SUBJECT," HE SAID.

"BY LOCALS, I MEAN THOSE WHO ARE IN THE MAIN PEOPLE OF CHINESE RACE (BUT CERTAINLY NOT EXCLUSIVELY SO WHO REGARD HONG KONG AS THEIR PERMANENT HOME. THE TERM THEREFORE INCLUDES BOTH CHINESE AND NON-CHINESE, BUT EXCLUDES THOSE OF THE CHINESE RACE WHO MAKE THEIR

HOME ELSEWHERE.

THAT THOSE WHO A SPECIAL SENSE LOCAL CONDITIONS,

"THIS DESCRIPTION IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION CALL HONG KONG THEIR HOME HAVE, GENERALLY SPEAKING, OF COMMITMENT TO THIS CITY, A DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF AND A WARMER SYMPATHY WITH OUR ASPIRATIONS. THE ABILITY TO SPEAK. READ AND WRITE CHINESE 15 OF COURSE A MAJOR ADVANTAGE.

SIR TI LIANG EMPHASISED THAT WHILE IT WAS PROPER TO GIVE FIRST PRIORITY TO LOCALS OF ABILITY AND INTEGRITY WHEN RECRUITING, HE WAS SURE THAT ONCE INSIDE THE JUDICIARY, BOTH LOCALS AND EXPATRIATES SHOULD BE TREATED EQUALLY, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF CAREER ADVANCEMENT, WITH FAVOURARLE CONSIDERATION BEING GIVEN POR A KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE.

"EXPATRIATE OFFICERS, WHETHER ON CONTRACT OR PENSIONABLE ESTABLISHMENT MUST HAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT THEIR AND ASPIRATIONS ARE PROTECTED IN THE INTEREST OF COMMUNITY,'

ON

THE

BENEFITS HE SAID.

/ON THE