XN000022-1992-10-08 — Page 7

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1992

GOVERNOR:

HUMAN HISTORY IS FULL OF EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE CONVINCED THEY COULD DO THINGS AND THEN ANNOUNCED THAT, AND THEN FELL, ALAS, AT THE FIRST ATTEMPT. SO I CAN'T ARROGANTLY EXPRESS ANY SUCH CONVICTION. WHAT I CAN EXPRESS IS A HOPE THAT I CAN DEMONSTRATE TO MY, TO OUR, COLLEAGUES IN PEKING THAT THE PROPOSALS WHICH I'VE SUGGESTED, THAT THE PROPOSALS I'VE PUT FORWARD ARE GOOD FOR THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG AND, THEREFORE, GOOD FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA. I CAN DO THAT AS VIGOROUSLY AS POSSIBLE. WHAT I DARE SAY I CAN ALSO SAY IS, IF NOT THESE PROPOSALS, THEN WHAT? I DON'T MAKE THESE PROPOSALS OUT OF THE BLUE. I DON'T MAKE THESE PROPOSALS JUST BECAUSE IT'S MY INITIATIVE, I MAKE THESE PROPOSALS BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG AND THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG HAVE TO COME FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS ABOUT WHAT ΤΟ DO ABOUT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE IN 1995, HAVE ΤΟ COME FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS ABOUT FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES IN 1995, HAVE ΤΟ COME FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS ABOUT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN 1995. I HAVE TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS. IF OTHERS THINK THAT I'VE GOT THOSE PROPOSALS WRONG, THEN THEY SHOULD SAY WHAT PROPOSALS THEY WOULD OFFER INSTEAD. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO HAVE A DIALOGUE IF WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG COMES FORWARD WITH PROPOSALS, WHETHER ON THIS MATTER OR ON THE AIRPORT, IS THEN TOLD THAT THOSE PROPOSALS AREN'T ANY GOOD, RETURNS TO BASE AND THEN IS EXPECTED PRESUMABLY TO SET OFF WITH FURTHER PROPOSALS TO SEE IF THOSE ARE ALRIGHT AND, IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, IF THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THIS LEGISLATURE IF THERE ARE PEOPLE ELSEWHERE WHO THINK THAT MY PROPOSALS ARE WRONG, THEN I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT UPON THEM TO SAY WHERE THEY WOULD CHANGE THEM AND WHAT THEY WOULD PUT IN THEIR PLACE. THAT IS THE WAY WE CAN HAVE A RATIONAL, SENSIBLE EXCHANGE IN DIALOGUE AND I AM EXTREMELY KEEN TO HAVE A RATIONAL AND SENSIBLE AND OPEN DIALOGUE WITH OFFICIALS IN PEKING. IT DOES NEED ΤΟ BE OPEN, PEOPLE IN HONG KONG DO NEED TO KNOW WHAT WE ARE DISCUSSING ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.

MR

LAU CHIN-SHEK (IN CANTONESE):

MR GOVERNOR, YOUR REPORT SAYS THAT YOU WILL PUT IN A LOT OF RESOURCES IN WELFARE AND IN MATTERS CONCERNING PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD, BUT HOW MANY NEW PROPOSALS AND HOW MUCH WILL THERE BE FOR THE LOWER CLASS PEOPLE? AS FOR THE LABOUR SECTOR, YOU ARE SILENT ON SAFEGUARDS FOR THE WORKERS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU TALK ABOUT RE-TRAINING, YOU INJECT 300 MILLION DOLLARS. SO THAT, IN THE COMING TWO OR THREE YEARS, MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE WILL BE RE- TRAINED. BUT DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY YEAR WE HAVE ABOUT 70,000 MANUFACTURING WORKERS WHO HAVE TO SWITCH JOBS?

BY 1996, THE LABOUR POPULATION FOR THE JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL PEOPLE, 85,000 PEOPLE, WILL HAVE EMPLOYMENT DIFFICULTIES BECAUSE OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND. AND THEN 15,000 RE-TRAINED PLACES ARE VERY SMALL AND THEN YOU ALSO IMPORT LABOUR FROM OTHER PLACES. THIS WILL BLOCK THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN RE-TRAINED AND THEY WILL FIND DIFFICULTIES IN SWITCHING JOBS. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED OTHER PRACTICAL METHODS TO RESOLVE THE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND PROBLEMS OF LOCAL WORKERS SO THAT THEY CAN CHANGE JOBS EASILY, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU SHOULD SCRAP IMPORTATION OF LABOUR. YOU SHOULD INJECT MORE MONEY FOR THE RE- TRAINING FUND AND YOU SHOULD ASK THE EMPLOYERS TO GIVE PRIORITY ΤΟ EMPLOY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN RE-TRAINED.

/GOVERNOR: I