XN000022-1992-10-07 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992

GOVERNOR:

IN THE COMMUNITY AND MY IMPRESSION AFTER THREE MONTHS RATHER MORE, BECAUSE I MET QUITE A LOT OF THE POLITICAL GROUPS BEFORE I CAME TO HONG KONG AND HAD DONE A LOT OF READING. MY IMPRESSION IS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE DEMOCRACY TAKEN FORWARD BUT THEY WANT TO SEE IT

TAKEN FORWARD IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY AND MOST OF THEM WOULD DEFINE THAT AS TAKEN FORWARD IN A WAY WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW; SO, WHAT I LOOKED FOR TODAY WAS WAYS IN WHICH I COULD DO THAT. LET'S CONSIDER WHAT THE PARAMETERS ARE. THE PRESENT SOVEREIGN POWER WISHES TO SEE THE PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION QUICKENED. THE FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWER HAS SAID NOTHING SHOULD BE DONE WHICH INVOLVES A CHANGE IN THE BASIC LAW. THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, WITH A GREAT DEAL OF INHERENT WIT AND WISDOM, HAVE REACHED THE CONCLUSION, IN MY JUDGEMENT, OF

WE SHOULD BE DOING IS WAYS OF INCREASING, ENHANCING DEMOCRACY BUT THAT WILL LAST AND IS CONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF HONG CONSTITUTION AFTER 1997. THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TRIED TO DO IF I'VE GOT THE BALANCE WRONG PEOPLE WILL TELL ME LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND IN THE PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT I ATTEND. I THINK I'VE GOT IT ABOUT RIGHT BUT WE'LL SEE.

KONG'S MINI BUT DOUBTLESS BOTH IN THE AM ABOUT ΤΟ

LEUNG YIU-WING (UNITED DAILY NEWS HK): SENIOR CHINESE OFFICIALS HAVE ALREADY CRITICISED THAT YOU SET OUT YOUR POLITICAL REFORM WITHOUT PRIOR CONSULTATION AND NEGOTIATION WITH THEM. THEN HOW ARE YOU GOING TO WIN THE BACKING OF THE CHINESE SIDE FOR YOUR POLITICAL REFORM?

GOVERNOR: LET'S BE CLEAR WHAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. WE GAVE NOTICE IN NEW YORK AND IN PEKING ABOUT PRECISELY WHAT I INTENDED ΤΟ DO, ALMOST TWO WEEKS AGO. WE SET OUT CONFIDENTIALLY IN TERMS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS WHAT MY PROPOSALS ON CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES WOULD AMOUNT TO AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS A PROPER THING TO DO, TO GIVE CHINA AND CHINESE OFFICIALS DUE NOTICE OF WHAT I WAS INTENDING TO SAY. SECONDLY, THERE WAS THE ISSUE OF WHETHER I SHOULD SAY ANYTHING BEFORE I REACHED AN AGREEMENT WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS.

IF I MAY SAY SO WITHOUT BEING PROVOCATIVE, I HAVEN'T NOTICED THE REVERSE VERY OFTEN BEING THE CASE. I THINK CHINESE OFFICIALS, FOR EXAMPLE, DELIVERED THEIR VIEWS ON THE MEMBERSHIP OF EXCO WITHOUT AT ANY STAGE SAYING WE MUST TALK TO THE BRITISH FIRST AND SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME AGREEMENT ON THIS. BUT I AM IN A DILEMMA ON THIS MATTER. WHEN IT COMES TO THE AIRPORT, CHINESE OFFICIALS SAY, IN MY VIEW, QUITE RIGHTLY TO US, YOU MUST SAY WHAT YOUR PROPOSALS ARE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, YOU MUSTN'T BE SECRETIVE ABOUT YOUR PROPOSALS. SO WHY SHOULD ONE BE OPEN ABOUT ONE'S PROPOSALS ON THE FINANCING OF AN AIRPORT BUT SECRETIVE ABOUT ONE'S PROPOSALS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG'S WAY OF LIFE. THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO ME TO SHOW A VERY SENSIBLE BALANCE IF I WAS TO DO ᎢᎻᎪᎢ .

THERE IS