XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 33

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

GOVERNOR:

AS YOU SAID, IN PARAGRAPH 59 OF MY SPEECH, I REFER ΤΟ OUR TARGET OF ENSURING THAT WE'VE CLEARED THREE-QUARTERS OF THE TEMPORARY HOUSING AREAS BY 1997, BUT YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT I HAVEN'T YET VISITED SUCH AN AREA MYSELF, THOUGH I HAVE VISITED MOST, OR MANY, OTHER PARTS OF HONG KONG AND HAVE VISITED SQUATTERS AREAS AND OTHER DIFFICULT HOUSING AREAS. BUT I'LL DO A BARGAIN WITH YOU.

IF YOU'VE GOT A DAY OFF, OR CAN SPARE AN AFTERNOON, I'LL GO то A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA WITH YOU. AND I BET IT WILL THE FIRST YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA IN A DAIMLER WITH A ON THE FRONT AND A CHAUFFEUR.

TIME FLAG

QUESTION;

I AM SORRY I HAVE DIFFICULTY

GOVERNOR:

I SAID I BET IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO A TEMPORARY HOUSING AREA IN A DAIMLER WITH A FLAG ON THE FRONT AND A CHAUFFEUR IN THE FRONT SEAT.

CAN I SAY THIS FINALLY. THE HALL WAS BOOKED UNTIL 7.15 AND, IF WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS AGAIN, WE HAVE TO BE NICE AND ORDERLY AND SENSIBLE. OTHERWISE THE URBAN COUNCIL WILL NEVER LET US BACK. WE HAVE MANAGED THIS EVENING TO GET ELEVEN DIFFERENT QUESTIONERS IN. AND THAT IS PARTLY BECAUSE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS, FOR UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS, HAVE BEEN QUITE LONG. SO NEXT TIME, IF WE CAN ASK SHORTER QUESTIONS, I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET TWICE AS MANY PEOPLE IN.

I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO YOU ALL FOR COMING THIS EVENING. I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR BEING SUCH AN INTELLIGENT AND CALM AND REASONABLE AUDIENCE. THIS DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN AT PUBLIC MEETINGS. IT DOES SHOW, TO ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED, WHETHER HERE OR ELSEWHERE,

IS THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, WHATEVER THEIR VIEWS, CAN BE TRUSTED TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, THE FUTURE OF THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITY IN A RESPONSIBLE AND INTELLIGENT AND MATURE AND RESTRAINED WAY AND THAT IS HOW WE ARE GOING TO PROVE TO THE WHOLE WORLD WHAT A SOPHISTICATED AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL COMMUNITY THIS CAN BE.

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED AND I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN.

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