XN000022-1989-08-14 — Page 2

MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1989

THE

PUBLIC URGED TO GIVE VIEWS NOW ON BASIC LAW

SECRETARY,

GENERAL DUTIES, MR BARRIE WIGGHAM, (MONDAY) URGED HONG KONG PEOPLE TO ACT NOW TO PUT FORWARD THEIR ON THE DRAFT BASIC LAW.

TODAY

VIEWS

"THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME WHEN YOUR VIEWS ON THIS IMPORTANT SUBJECT MATTER MORE," HE SAID,

+

IN A SPEECH ENTITLED "PICKING UP THE PIECES" TO A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF TSIM SHA TSUI EAST, MR WIGGHAM NOTED THE TO PRESENT INDICATIONS WERE THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WOULD PREFER

ORIGINAL TIMETABLE FOR PROMULGATING THE STICK TO THE

BASIC LAW IN

SPRING NEXT YEAR.

MORE

"I

HOPE, HOWEVER, THAT IF IN THE EVENT IT IS CLEAR THAT TIME IS NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE DEFINITIVE VERSION, THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES WILL EXTEND WHAT IS AFTER ALL A SELF-IMPOSED TIMETABLE, MR WIGGHAM SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE BASIC LAW WAS NOT TO TAKE EFFECT ANOTHER EIGHT YEARS AND IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT IT CAME OUT RIGHT.

++

FOR

CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

'WE MUST HAVE THE BEST POSSIBLE FOR THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, HE SAID.

++

IN THE CASE OF THOSE ARTICLES WHERE THERE WERE STILL DISSENTING MR WIGCHAM SAID THEY SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE DRAFTERS

VIEWS, ATTENTION.

"WHERE

PERSONAL

+

REMAIN DIVIDED, VIEWS

WE SHOULD TRY AND PREFERENCES AND ESTABLISH THE MAXIMUM GROUND, HE SAID.

PUT AMOUNT OF

ASIDE COMMON

"WE MUST ALL EVENTUALLY ENSHRINED READILY

DO WHAT WE CAN TO ENSURE THAT WHAT IN THE BASIC LAW IS SOMETHING

WE THAT SUPPORT, AND IN WHICH WE CAN HAVE THE GREATEST CONFIDENCE.

IS

CAN

"IN THIS RESPECT, THE FUTURE IS IN OUR OWN HANDS."

MR WIGGHAM SAID HE HOPED TO CONTRIBUTE TO QUESTIONS ON THE DRAFT BASIC LAW BY POSING

THE AREAS RELATING TO THE BASIC

THE CURRENT AND POINTING LAW WHICH NEEDED

DISCUSSION TOWARDS SOME OF FURTHER EXAMINATION.

**THE FOCUS IS PRESENCE IN

FIRST ISSUE ON WHICH I WOULD EXPECT HONG KONG THE NATURE AND SCALE OF THE

LIBERATION PEOPLE'S HONG KONG AFTER 1997, HE SAID.

PEOPLE TO ARMY

WIGGHAM SAID

GREAT ANXIETY EVENTS HAD

NOTING THAT THIS HAD ALWAYS BEEN A SUBJECT OF AMONG THE

MR POPULATION,

RECENT UNDERSTANDABLY INTENSIFIED PUBLIC FEELINGS STILL FURTHER.

/"WE NOW