XN000022-1991-12-31 — Page 5

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1991

4 -

QUESTION: WAS IT A SUDDEN DECISION DID YOU KNOW?

WERE YOU CONSULTED?

WHEN

SIR DAVID: I HAVE BEEN AWARE THAT THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE A CHANGE IN 1992 AFTER MY FIRST FIVE YEARS IN OFFICE, I HAVE SOME TIME. THE ACTUAL BREN AWARE THAT THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR DECISION TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT NOW, THAT IS MUCH MORE RECENT BUT COURSE I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF IT.

OF

THAT

HAVE A QUESTION: SIR DAVID, NOW THAT THE DECISION IS MADE WE

IS GOVERNOR IS. PERIOD WHEREBY WE DON'T KNOW WHO THE NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT GOING TO BE MADE SOON WITHIN A MATTER OF WEEKS,

SAY?

MINISTER

GOT то

SIR DAVID: THAT HAS GOT TO BE A MATTER FOR THE PRIME RATHER THAN FOR ME. THE PRIME MINISTER, IN FACING THAT, HAS

GENERAL ELECTION LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND THAT HE HAS GOT, WHICH IS A

WHETHER COMING UP, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT DECISION HE WILL TAKE ABOUT TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE GENERAL ELECTION OR AFTERWARDS, BUT THAT IS THE BACKGROUND AGAINST WHICH HE HAS TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM.

QUESTION:

WILL IT

CREATE DIFFICULTIES

FOR

YOU, BEING

OUR

GOVERNOR, IN CARRYING OUT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK?

SIR DAVID: WELL FROM MY POINT OF VIEW I WOULD PREFER, I THINK,

AND KNOW IT ΤΟ BE CLEAR THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A CHANGE IN 1992

SPECULATION, IF THAT. WE ARE THEN LEFT WITH ONE HALF OF A TWO PART

WE'VE HAD YOU LIKE.

HAD TWO PARTS OF THE SPECULATION RECENTLY:

ABOUT SPECULATION THAT THE GOVERNOR MIGHT CHANGE IN 1992; SPECULATION WHO MIGHT BE THE NEXT GOVERNOR. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE NOW GOT ONE HALF OF THE SPECULATION LEFT - THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN 1992 - THERE IS STILL BUT THE OTHER POINT FOR THE SPECULATION ABOUT WHO IT IS GOING TO BE. ME IS TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT ALTHOUGH I SHALL BE LEAVING HONG KONG IN 1992, AND OF COURSE I SHALL BE SAD TO LEAVE HONG KONG IN FOR SEVERAL I WON'T BE LEAVING 1992 AND THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING

HERE I WILL BE

FOR MONTHS

SO DON'T WRITE THE OBITUARIES YET. YET,

THOSE FEW QUITE A FEW MONTHS AND I SHALL BE WORKING FLAT OUT DURING MONTHS.

-

QUESTION: FORGIVE ME FOR BEING TACTLESS BUT HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED HANDLED ΤΟ GO BECAUSE THE FOREIGN OFFICE IS UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY YOU THE NEW AIRPORT?

I

SIR DAVID: I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T SEE IT LIKE THAT MYSELF, NO.

DEFENSIVE MEAN I FEEL NO REASON - YOU MIGHT LIKE ME TO SOUND SORT OF

AT OR APOLOGETIC I DON'T FEEL THAT IN THE SLIGHTEST ABOUT ANYTHING

NO, I THINK ALL THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING DURING MY PERIOD AS GOVERNOR. THE CRUCIAL THING IS THAT IF THERE IS GOING TO BE A CHANGE BEFORE 1997 YOU HAVE GOT TO MAKE A DECISION THE PRIME MINISTER HAS GOT TO MAKE A ON OR SHOULD SHOULD IT BE LATER DECISION

OF WHEN SHOULD IT BE.

YEARS SOMETHING CLOSE TO FIVE BE A LENGTHY PERIOD OF TIME THERE FOR THE NEW GOVERNOR? AND THAT'S THE DECISION THAT HE HAS TAKEN.

—

—

ΤΟ CHANGE

BEEN

QUESTION: IS THERE A CHANGE ALSO BECAUSE OF A NEED THE RELATION WITH THE CHINESE LEADERS? THAT IS, AGAIN, HAVE YOU ASKED TO GO BECAUSE YOU ARE TOO SYMPATHETIC WITH CHINA?

/SIR DAVID: