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THE PERSONAL SACRIFICE, WHICH IS INVOLVED IN STANDING FOR ELECTION AND THE SACRIFICE OF TAKING THE RISK YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY LOSE THE ELECTIONS. SO WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING NOW, AS I SEE IT, IS ENCOURAGING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE RIGHT ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF POLITICAL VIEWS IN HONG KONG - TO TAKE PART IN THOSE ELECTIONS, MAKE A REAL SUCCESS OF THEM, SHOW THAT WE CAN RUN THAT DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM. AND THEN IF WE CAN AND IT IS SUCCESSFUL, AS I BELIEVE IT WILL BE, THEN WE CAN GO BACK TO THE CHINESE AND REFER TO THEIR BASIC LAW AND SAY: LOOK, WE THINK THIS SYSTEM IS WORKING VERY WELL, IT'S BENEFITTING HONG BY, LET'S SAY, HAVING KONG, WE THINK IT COULD BE SLIGHTLY IMPROVED BY, SLIGHTLY MORE IN THE WAY OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS BY 1997. THE WAY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT.

OLIVER SCOTT:

THAT'S

SIR DAVID, IF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES OR NEGOTIATORS SAY, IN EFFECT, WHAT IS ALL THIS UPROAR ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES AND THEN THEY WENT ON TO NOW, SUDDENLY, WE'RE ABOUT TO TAKE OVER? MAKE THE POINT THAT THEY WEREN'T, IN EFFECT, IN PLACE IN HONG KONG BEFOREHAND, THEY WOULD HAVE A POINT WOULDN'T THEY?

SIR DAVID: WELL, IT IS

IT IS THE SORT OF THING WHICH THEY HAVE ACTUALLY IT'S AN BEEN SAYING AND, YES, I SUPPOSE IN A SENSE THEY HAVE A POINT. IRONY IN A WAY, ABOUT THE NEGOTIATION ABOUT HONG KONG'S FUTURE THAT ON ALMOST EVERYTHING INVOLVED, HONG KONG WAS TRYING TO SAY WE SHOULD PRESERVE EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE GOT NOW AND WRITE THAT DOWN FOR THE FUTURE. THE ONE GREAT DIFFERENCE WAS IN THE STRUCTURE OF OUR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHEN WE WERE SAYING, WE THINK THIS SHOULD CHANGE, THEN, IN 1984 - TO WE THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FROM THE SYSTEM WE'VE GOT

BUT ALTHOUGH THAT IS A SOMETHING WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT. PARADOX IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE IT WAS TAKING ACCOUNT OF THE CHANGED MOOD IN HONG KONG, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS TRIED TO DO. ODDLY ENOUGH, IF YOU'RE A NON- ELECTED GOVERNMENT YOU HAVE TO SPEND A LOT OF YOUR TIME TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING, TRYING AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN TO GO AND BY THAT TIME, I HAVE ALONG WITH THE MAINSTREAM OF PUBLIC OPINION.

WAS BEGINNING TO NO DOUBT THAT THE MAINSTREAM OF PUBLIC OPINION CHANGE; WE HAD YOUNG PEOPLE, VERY WELL EDUCATED, WANTING QUITE RIGHTLY A GREATER DIRECT SAY IN THE WAY IN WHICH THE TERRITORY WAS RUN, AND WE SO WE ARGUED FOR QUITE RIGHTLY WANTED TO GO ALONG WITH THAT MOOD. CHANGE AND THE AGREEMENT WITH CHINA LAID DOWN A VERY CONSIDERABLE CHANGE, THAT IS MOVING FROM A SYSTEM IN 1984 WHERE WE HAD NO ELECTED MEMBERS OF OUR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO LAYING DOWN IN THE AGREEMENT THAT BY 1997 ALL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE ELECTED, ALTHOUGH NOT SAYING PRECISELY HOW THOSE ELECTIONS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT. SO I THINK WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING IS TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE SHIFT OF OPINION IN HONG KONG, AND THAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO RUN A SOCIETY. IT IS A LIVE SOCIETY, IT IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING, AND ONE WANTS TO KEEP ON TOP OF THOSE CHANGES AND TRY TO MOVE WITH THE MAINSTREAM OF SENSIBLE OPINION IN THE TERRITORY.

OLIVER SCOTT: A LITTLE AFTER HALFWAY IN THE PROGRAMME NOW, IT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PHONE-IN ON THE BBC'S WORLD SERVICE AND MY GUEST IS SIR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUT A DAVID WILSON, THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. QUESTION TO SIR DAVID THE NUMBER TO CALL, THAT IS IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, IS THE CODE FOR THE UK AND THEN 71-379-7444. IF YOU LIVE INSIDE THE UK THE NUMBER IS 071-379-0411. DIMENSION NOW ON THE HONG KONG QUESTION OR THE HONG KONG ISSUE, AND IT COMES FROM LORETTA PENG CALLING FROM VANCOUVER IN CANADA.

A NEW

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