XN000022-1991-12-31 — Page 8

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1991

TO

I DO BELIEVE IT WAS RIGHT NOT TO LIMIT OUR OWN DESPITE EVERYTHING

AT

HORIZONS

WAS

ΤΟ

←

THE

BACK

THEY

SIR DAVID: I DOUBT IT VERY MUCH. THAT TIME TO BE LOOKING FOR THE FUTURE, EITHER

THAT TO SAY, 1989 OR TO 1997, HAPPENING, HONG

GOING KONG WAS GOING TO GO ON AND HONG KONG WAS

I BELIEVE PROSPER.

ANNOUNCE A POLICY ON EXPANDING EDUCATION So, THAT WAS RIGHT; ANNOUNCE LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURAL PROJECTS LIKE AIRPORT I BELIEVE THAT WAS RIGHT. I DON'T THINK, EVEN LOOKING NOW, THAT THOSE WERE THE WRONG DECISIONS. I BELIEVE, NOW, THAT ARE LAYING THE RIGHT SORT OF FOUNDATIONS FOR A PROSPEROUS HONG KONG IN THE FUTURE, WAY AFTER 1997.

UK, QUESTION: SIR DAVID, THERE ARE SO MANY RUMOURS, SAY IN THE

THOSE BUSINESS SAYING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH CIRCLES IN UK, LIKE JARDINES, SO THEY ALWAYS PROPOSED TO REPLACE YOU.

THAT DO YOU THINK

THE NEW GOVERNOR

BUILD NEEDS TO RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE BUSINESSMEN IN UK?

-

SIR

-

PLACE

UP A GOOD

ALL

-

BAD

DAVID: WELL, AS I WOULD SEE IT AND I WOULD DISREGARD

WHAT MATTERS AS I WOULD SEE IT, THESE SORT OF RUMOURS INCIDENTALLY IN HONG KONG IS THAT WE ARE AN OPEN ECONOMY, A COMPETITIVE ECONOMY SOMETIMES THE WORD USED IS A LEVEL 'PLAYING-FIELD' AND IT'S NOT A

BUSINESS; WORD 'PLAYING-FIELD' MAY BE WRONG, IT IS QUITE A SERIOUS WHICH SHOULD

EVERYBODY IN BUT IT

BE LEVEL, IT SHOULD BE A COMPETES FREELY, THAT IS WHAT HAS MADE HONG KONG 30 SUCCESSFUL.

A DEPENDENT INCIDENTALLY, BRITAIN'S WILLINGNESS TO ALLOW HONG KONG, TERRITORY, TO LOOK AFTER ITS OWN ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, ENTIRELY LOOK AFTER

A

CREDIT GREAT AFFAIRS AUTONOMOUSLY, THAT I THINK IS OWN BRITAIN OVER THE YEARS AND THAT IS WHAT HAS HELPED TO MAKE HONG SO SUCCESSFUL COMPETITION.

ITS

AND

TO

KONG

QUESTION:

SIR

CHINA HAS BEEN CONSULTED ON A DAVID, THINGS IN HONG KONG IN RECENT YEARS, WOULD CHINA BE SOUNDED THESE CANDIDATES FOR THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE?

LOT

OF

OUT ON

-

PEOPLE

-

IS

PRIME

FORMAL

IN HONG NOW IF VIEWS

SIR DAVID: I THINK THE DECISION HAS TO BE SEEN AS ONE WHICH

IS FOR THE BUT IT IT IS FOR THE QUEEN IN FORMAL TERMS MINISTER TO ADVISE THE QUEEN AND I THINK HE HAS TO TAKE THAT DECISION, AND I DON'T SEE THAT FORMAL CONSULTATION OF OTHER CONSULTATION OF ANYBODY LIKE CHINA, OR FORMAL CONSULTATION APPROPRIATE. KONG FOR THAT MATTER I DON'T THINK THAT IS PEOPLE IN HONG KONG OR ANYWHERE ELSE WISH TO PUT FORWARD THEIR ON WHO WOULD BE THE RIGHT SORT OF GOVERNOR, I'M SURE THEY WILL DO SO PEOPLE ARE NEVER SLOW TO PUT FORWARD THEIR OWN VIEWS - BUT THE ACTUAL TO ADVISE THE DECISION, I THINK, HAS TO BE FOR THE PRIME MINISTER QUEEN AND WITHOUT FORMAL CONSULTATION OF OTHER PEOPLE.

THE

NEW

QUESTION: THERE'S SOME LEGCO GUYS THAT WANT TO DISCUSS IN IN-HOUSE MAYBE THIS

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRIDAY ABOUT THE GOVERNOR THAT MEANS YOU WILL THINK SUCH TYPE OF DISCUSSION IS JUST A FRUITLESS DISCUSSION?

FORMAL ME TO BE

I SAID THAT SIR DAVID: I DIDN'T QUITE SAY THAT, DID I? CONSULTATION IN HONG KONG OR ELSEWHERE DOESN'T SEEM TO

BUT APPROPRIATE, IT HAS TO BE THE PRIME MINISTER ADVISING THE QUEEN.

THE IF PEOPLE WANT TO DISCUSS THE SUBJECT, OF COURSE THEY CAN DISCUSS

TO STOP PEOPLE SUBJECT AND OF COURSE THEY WILL; NO ONE WOULD WISH DISCUSSING THE SUBJECT, NO ONE WOULD WISH TO STOP. PEOPLE FORWARD THEIR OWN VIEWS. I'M SURE THEY WILL DO THAT AND IT IS

RIGHT THAT THEY SHOULD DO SO.

PUTTING

QUITE

/QUESTION: