XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 23

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

GOVERNOR:

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THE GOVERNOR THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN'S

PUBLIC MEETING AT THE CITY HALL

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME AND MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR COMING THIS EVENING, I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF A FAIRLY REGULAR SERIES OF MEETINGS LIKE THIS WHILE I AM THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. IT WILL OBVIOUSLY DEPEND PARTLY ON ME AND PARTLY ON YOU. IF WE ALL HAVE A VERY BORING EVENING TOGETHER, I GUESS NOBODY WILL EVER COME TO A MEETING AGAIN. I'VE BEEN A LITTLE SURPRISED THAT THERE WAS SOME CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THIS MEETING AND THE OTHERS I'VE PLANNED.

LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT I MEAN. THE SPEECH THAT I MADE YESTERDAY WAS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE AND I THINK YOU'VE GOT A RIGHT TO ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT I SAID. OF COURSE, I AM ACCOUNTABLE FIRST AND FOREMOST ΤΟ THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHICH REPRESENTS YOU. So, I WENT TO THEM TODAY TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. BUT I ALSO HAVE TO GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK ME QUESTIONS TONIGHT AND ON OTHER OCCASIONS. THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS EVENING'S QUESTION AND ANSWER, I AM SORRY THAT BECAUSE OF MY LINGUISTIC INADEQUACIES, BECAUSE I DON'T SPEAK CANTONESE AS WELL AS YOU SPEAK ENGLISH INDEED, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST, DON'T SPEAK CANTONESE AT ALL

THAT THEREFORE, EVERYTHING HAS ΤΟ BE TRANSLATED AND, THEREFORE, THINGS WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER. BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT DESPITE THAT DIFFICULTY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE A GOOD EXCHANGE.

LET ME JUST MAKE FOUR BRIEF POINTS AND THEN THE EVENING IS YOURS. THE FIRST THING THAT I SAID YESTERDAY IN MY SPEECH ΤΟ THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IS THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE CONTINUE THE POLICIES THAT HAVE BROUGHT HONG KONG GREAT ECONOMIC SUCCESS LOW TAXES, SENSIBLE CONTROL OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, MAKING OUR CITY THE MOST BUSINESS- FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IN ASIA.

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SECONDLY, I SAID THAT IT WAS MY IMPRESSION THAT, WHILE YOU DIDN'T WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO BE EXTRAVAGANT, YOU DID WANT US TO BE FAIR AND YOU DID WANT US TO SPEND MORE WHERE WE COULD AFFORD IT ON PROGRAMMES LIKE EDUCATION, SOCIAL WELFARE, PROVISION FOR THE HANDICAPPED. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, THE ENVIRONMENT AND SO ON.

THIRDLY, I SAID THAT IT WAS MY IMPRESSION THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANTED MORE DEMOCRACY, THAT THEY WANTED MORE DEMOCRACY WHICH THEY BELIEVE WILL LAST. AND, THEREFORE, THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE FOR ME ΤΟ BRING FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR GREATER DEMOCRACY THAT WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW. BUT DOUBTLESS, TONIGHT AND ON OTHER OCCASIONS, YOU WILL TELL ME WHETHER YOU THINK I WAS RIGHT OR WRONG.

FOURTHLY, I SAID THAT MY GREATEST OBJECTIVE IN HONG KONG WAS TO SECURE YOUR WAY OF LIFE FOR THE FUTURE, TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A FULL-HEARTED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. PART OF THAT WAY OF LIFE IS THAT WE HAVE FREE AND OPEN MEETINGS LIKE THIS. AND I BELIEVE THAT ONE RESULT OF MEETINGS LIKE THIS IS THAT THE DECISIONS THAT I HAVE ΤΟ TAKE, AND OTHERS IN GOVERNMENT HAVE TO TAKE, ARE BETTER IF WE HAVE ΤΟ GO AND EXPLAIN OUR DECISIONS TO YOU. THAT'S WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY AND THAT'S WHAT GREATER DEMOCRACY MEANS. I HAVE TO KNOW, WHEN I MAKE A DECISION THAT, AT SOME STAGE, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO STAND IN FRONT OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OR STAND IN FRONT OF YOU AND EXPLAIN MYSELF. AND THAT I CAN TELL YOU, HAS A GREAT EFFECT ON POLITICAL LEADERS. AND NOW, IT'S YOUR TURN. YOUR TURN TO ASK QUESTIONS. I HOPE SOMEBODY WILL WANT TO DO SO.

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