XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 36

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

GOVERNOR:

WELL FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK THAT THE PROPOSALS I'M MAKING ARE AS RADICAL AS YOU SUGGEST, AND I REPEAT ONCE AGAIN WHAT SAID YESTERDAY, THESE ARE PROPOSALS WHICH WILL HAVE TO BE DEBATED

I THE COMMUNITY THAT'S ONE REASON WHY I AM TAKING PART IN THIS

www

+

MORNING

—

BY

IN THIS

PHONE- AND WHICH OF COURSE I WILL HAVE TO REPRESENTATIVES

DISCUSS WITH OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. I THINK RECOGNISES THAT I HAVE TO DO THAT,

THE COMMUNITY WHAT I'VE TRIED TO DO IS TO FIND A POINT OF BALANCE IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IN MY JUDGMENT, PEOPLE HONG KONG WANT TO SEE US PUSH FORWARD DEMOCRACY IN MODEST AND SENSIBLE IN WAYS BUT THEY ALSO WANT TO SEE THOSE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS SURVIVING THROUGH 1997, AND THEREFORE THEY WANT US TO WHICH

PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW. THAT IS ATTEMPTED TO DO.

WHAT I HAVE

LIKE

BUT THERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT HERE WHICH I'D TO STRESS AND I'LL BE SAYING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WEEKS. IT'S NOT CHRIS PATTEN WHO IS RAISING THESE ARE THERE ANYWAY.

ISSUES, THEY WE ARE OBLIGED TO COME FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS ABOUT THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE FOR 1995, WE'RE OBLIGED TO COME PROPOSALS

FORWARD ABOUT HOW THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES SHOULD

WITH FORMED. THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE OBLIGED TO DO CONVERGE IN 1997 WITH THE BASIC LAW. NOW I'VE PUT PROPOSALS. IF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE GOT PROPOSALS WHICH ARE AS AS THE PACKAGE WE'VE PUT FORWARD, THEN LET'S HEAR FROM THEM.

KIT CUMMINGS: YOU ALSO MENTIONED A POINT ABOUT ACCEPTABILITY TO CHINA, DID YOU NOT CALLER?

GOVERNOR: THIS MONTH PROPOSALS

BK

IN ORDER

TO

FORWARD

MY

COHERENT

CHINA AND THE

PEKING LATER THESE ARE PROPOSALS THAT

THE

I'M THAT I

YES, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MY VISIT TO AND I'VE MADE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT I'M TAKING WITH ME AND THESE ARE THE GOING TO DISCUSS WITH CHINA. I THINK IT IS ENTIRELY RIGHT SHOULD HAVE SET OUT IN BROAD TERMS WHAT I'M GOING TO DISCUSS IN CHINA, OTHERWISE, UNTIL MY VISIT, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT SPECULATION ABOUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO, AND THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

BUBBLE OF GOOD DEAL OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY AS A RESULT, AND I WOULD HAVE

THINK WONDERED WHETHER THEY COULD TRUST A GOVERNOR PREPARED TO SAY TO THEM, BEFORE HE WENT TO PEKING, "THIS IS MY AGENDA, THESE ARE THE THINGS I WANT TO DISCUSS". THAT'S WHAT LIVING OPEN SOCIETY IS ALL ABOUT.

A

PEOPLE WHO WASN'T

IN AN

ALL

KIT CUMMINGS: MR PATTEN, PERHAPS I CAN INTERJECT HERE, THAT IT'S VERY WELL FOR THE ORDINARY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO HAVE A PROPOSAL AND THEN IT GETS SHOT DOWN AND THE REST OF US DECIDE IT'S NONESENSE, IN YOUR CASE YOU HAVE THE FACE OF BEING THE GOVERNOR. IS THERE NOT

BUT PROBLEM THAT IF YOUR PROPOSALS GET SHOT DOWN, YOU BECOME A YOU LOSE FACE IN THE COMMUNITY?

GOVERNOR:

A

LAME-DUCK,

LEGISLATIVE

TO

WE WILL BOARD

I DON'T THINK SO. I'M ACCOUNTABLE TO THE COUNCIL AND AT SOME STAGE IN THE EARLY PART OF NEXT YEAR I'M GOING HAVE TO GO TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WITH PROPOSALS WHICH HAVE TO CARRY INTO LAW, FOR, FOR EXAMPLE THE 1994 ELECTIONS AND FOR THE 1995 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS, AND IT

DISTRICT BE AT THAT STAGE FOR US TO COME TO FINAL DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT WE TO DO. BUT IN ANY COMMUNITY LIKE OURS, THE SHOULD

POLITICAL GIVE A FIRM AND CLEAR LEAD, AND I BELIEVE I'VE DONE THAT, YOU ALSO HAVE TO TAKE PART IN A DIALOGUE, IN OUR CASE NOT ONLY THE COMMUNITY BUT WITH THE PRESENT SOVEREIGN KINGDOM, AND THE FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWER, CHINA.

POWER, THE

WILL WANT

LEADERSHIP

BUT WITHIN UNITED

/QUESTION: GOOD