XN000022-1992-10-23 — Page 13

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1992

WE I

WHAT I'M HAPPY TO RESPOND TO ARE PROPOSALS, AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT DURING THE COURSE OF CONTINUING DISCUSSION, CAN SEE SOME PROPOSALS PUT FORWARD RATHER THAN JUST CRITICISMS. REPEAT THAT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG IS OBLIGED TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS ON THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, ON THE VOTING METHOD FOR DIRECTLY ELECTED

SEATS, ON HAS

THE ELECTION COMMITTEE I GOT IT RIGHT THIS TIME. THE GOVERNOR TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS ON THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THOSE ARRANGEMENTS AREN'T AT PRESENT MADE. IF ANYONE, I REPEAT, HAS OTHER PROPOSALS, LET THEM MAKE THEM.

QUESTION:

DID YOU COME AWAY FROM YOUR TALK THIS WEEK CONCERNING THE POSSIBILITY OF OPPOSITION THAT CHINA IS NOW.. .AVOID BEING CRITICAL... WHATEVER (INAUDIBLE)

GOVERNOR:

STABILITY AND

CONTINUING.

QUESTION:

GOVERNOR:

HONG KONG OBSERVES A

•

VERY CONSIDERABLE POLITICAL

SOCIAL STABILITY IN HONG KONG WHICH IN FACT IS

(INAUDIBLE)

-

THE JOINT DECLARATION MAKES IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT WE SHOULD BE COMMITTED TOGETHER FOR ORDERLY AND GRADUAL PROGRESS AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M SUGGESTING. I AM NOT SUGGESTING SOME HELTER- SKELTER PROGRESS. I'VE ACTUALLY PROPOSED A DIFFERENT ROUTE то THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECTLY ELECTED

TO THE INTRODUCTION OF AN ADDITIONAL NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS. SO NOBODY, I THINK, CAN SUGGEST THE MODEST PROPOSALS THAT I'VE PUT FORWARD, WHICH ARE BEING CRITICISED BY MANY PEOPLE FOR NOT GOING FAR ENOUGH, AS BEING DIS- ORDERLY OR TOO RAPID. THEY ARE WHOLLY IN LINE WITH THE PROVISIONS THE JOINT DECLARATION.

OF

WHAT IS ALSO TRUE ABOUT THE JOINT DECLARATION IS WE ARE COMMITTED, QUITE PROPERLY, TO CONSULTING ONE ANOTHER MUCH MORE AS WE MOVE TOWARDS 1997 TO WORKING MORE SUCCESSFULLY TOGETHER AS WE WORK TOWARDS 1997 AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IN ORDER TO DO THAT SUCCESSFULLY IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO MAKE CRITICISMS. PEOPLE HAVE TO PUT OTHER PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE.

QUESTION:

HAVE YOU BEEN EXPECTING THAT RESPONSE FROM

CHINA....(INAUDIBLE).

GOVERNOR:

WELL, I DON'T READ AS EXTENSIVELY THE PAPERS WHICH HAVE CRITICISED ME IN HONG KONG AS PERHAPS I SHOULD, BUT I WAS AWARE THAT CERTAIN CRITICISMS WERK BEING MADE, THOUGH I WASN'T ENTIRELY SURPRISED AT THE ARGUMENTS THAT I'VE BEEN EXCHANGING OR DEALING WITH THIS WEEK; BUT I CAN'T SAY THAT ANYTHING NEW FEATURED IN OUR DISCUSSION; I'M NOT SURE THAT ANYTHING, ANY NEW ARGUMENTS CAME FORWARD TO SURPRISE OR CONCERN ME, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSIONS CONTINUING AND I HOPE THAT THEY LEAD TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION.

QUESTION:

YOU SEEM A BIT FED UP THOUGH.

/GOVERNOR: I'M