XN000022-1992-05-18 — Page 2

MONDAY, MAY 18, 1992

DON'T LET ROUGH POLITICAL DEBATE OBSCURE OUR CONSENSUS: GOVERNOR

THE GOVERNOR, LORD WILSON, TONIGHT (MONDAY) SAID THERE WAS A BROAD CONSENSUS IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON KEY ISSUES AND WE SHOULD NOT LET THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE POLITICAL DEBATE OBSCURE THIS BEDROCK OF CONSENSUS.

ADDRESSING A DINNER HOSTED BY THE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE GOVERNOR SAID THERE HAD BEEN A GOOD DEAL OF TALK ABOUT THE CHANGED NATURE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SINCE THE ELECTIONS LAST SEPTEMBER.

"SOME PEOPLE FEAR THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLITICAL GROUPS HAS BEEN A RETROGRADE STEP. WE NEED TO KEEP ISSUES SUCH AS THIS IN PERSPECTIVE," LORD WILSON SAID.

. HE POINTED OUT THAT THE ESSENTIAL POINT WAS THAT THERE WAS NO GREAT IDEOLOGICAL CHASM IN HONG KONG POLITICS.

"THERE IS A BROAD CONSENSUS IN THE COMMUNITY AND IN LEGCO ON KEY ISSUES SUCH AS THE ECONOMY, TRADE, LAW AND ORDER, SOCIAL SERVICES AND THE NEED TO MAINTAIN A HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.

"WE SHOULD NOT LET THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF POLITICAL DEBATE OBSCURE THIS BEDROCK OF CONSENSUS," THE GOVERNOR SAID.

HE SAID IT WAS THE BRITISH POLITICIAN RAB BUTLER WHO DECLARED THAT "POLITICS IS THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE"

+

THE AMERICAN ECONOMIST JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH

DISAGREED, HE

ADDED.

"HE

SAID THAT 'POLITICS IS ABOUT DECIDING BETWEEN THE DISASTROUS AND THE UNPALATABLE'," THE GOVERNOR SAID.

LORD WILSON POINTED OUT THAT EITHER WAY, IT WAS ABOUT MAKING HARD CHOICES.

"IT

IS TO MAKING SENSIBLE DECISIONS OUT OF THESE HARD CHOICES THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY SHOULD DEVOTE OUR EFFORTS."

THE GOVERNOR RECOUNTED SOME OF THE MAJOR EVENTS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS DURING HIS GOVERNORSHIP AND THE WAY HONG KONG HAD HANDLED THEM.

THEY INCLUDED THE CRASH OF THE STOCK MARKET IN OCTOBER 1987; THE ARRIVAL OF OVER 61,000 VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE BETWEEN 1989 AND 1991; THE MAJOR BLOW TO CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG AFTER THE EVENTS IN BEIJING IN JUNE 1989; THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS ON BUILDING A NEW AIRPORT AND THE LONG AND SOMETIMES DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA.

NEW

THE GOVERNOR POINTED OUT THAT THE DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINA ON THE AIRPORT HAD BEEN A MAJOR TEST OF ABILITY то RESTORE A

Co- OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.

/"THE RESULT

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