XN000022-1992-10-24 — Page 10

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1992

GOVERNOR :

I DON'T THINK THAT ANYTHING THAT I HEARD IN PEKING DURING DISCUSSIONS WHICH WERE RIGOROUS, FAIRLY FORCEFUL, BUT ALWAYS ENTIRELY COURTEOUS

I DON'T THINK THAT ANYTHING THAT

IN I HEARD PEKING CHANGED MY VIEW ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR THE LAST THREE OR FOUR MONTHS TO ME AND LONGER TO MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL. PERHAPS I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION BETWEEN SOME PEKING OFFICIALS AND MOST OF THE VIEWS EXPRESSED TO ME IN HONG KONG, BUT THERE IT IS.

QUESTION?

SORRY, THE SECOND POINT OF THE HONOURABLE

TIK CHI-YUEN: I HOPE YOU CAN TELL US, NOW YOU ARE PROPOSING POLITICAL REFORMS, WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU SUCH PROPOSALS?

Ľ

MEMBER'S

CERTAIN CHANGE

BE

GOVERNOR:

WOULD, IF I WAS TO CHANGE MY MIND,

ΤΟ WISH CONVINCED THAT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS WERE BETTER. BUT IT'S NOT A VERY EASY WAY OF CONSULTING OR CO-OPERATING TO FIND THAT PROPOSALS DON'T GET COUNTERED BY ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS BUT GET COUNTERED

THE BY ARGUMENTS OF A CUL-DE-SAC, OR THE ARGUMENTS OF A WALL. IN ANY SPIRIT OF CO-OPERATION I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT ON THOSE WHO WISH TO CO-OPERATE ΤΟ PUT FORWARD ALTERNATIVES SO THAT THEY CAN BE PROPERLY DISCUSSED AND DEBATED. I HAVE SAID AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT THE PRINCIPLES, THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES, FOR ME ARE THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1995 SHOULD BE OPEN, SHOULD BE FAIR AND SHOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HỌNG CÙNG. THOSE DON'T SEEM TO ME TO BE PARTICULARLY OUTLANDISH PRINCIPLES. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR AS PASSIONATE SPEECH MADE IN FAVOUR OF NOT BEING OPEN, OF BEING GROSSLY UNFAIR AND OF PUTTING FORWARD LIKE PROPOSALS WHICH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG DISLIKED. ANYBODY WHO'D TO MAKE A SPEECH ALONG THOSE LINES, THEY WILL NEED A SILVER TONGUE.

MR YEUNG-SUM: MAY I ASK YOU A QUESTION? BECAUSE YOUR PREDECESSOR HAS MADE US WARY OF POLICY ADDRESSES. NOW YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT TAKING UP THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE WITH BEIJING AGAIN. WILL YOU, BECAUSE YOU WANT TO KEEP A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH BEIJING, GO BACK ON OUR DEMAND ON DEMOCRACY?

GOVERNOR:

A

MY

—

UNFAIR

KNOW,

AND

THE

то BUT

-

THE

I AM, AS I AM SURE THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN WILL

BE ALMOST LIMITLESS RATIONALITY AND IT WOULD MAN OF UNREASONABLE OF ME TO SAY THAT I AM NOT PREPARED TO GO ON DISCUSSING

IS THAT PROPOSALS AS LONG AS ANYONE WISHES TO DISCUSS THEM. POSITION I AM IN. IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE OF ME NOT TO SAY THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE OF ME NOT

THAT AND I DO BELIEVE IT WITH EVERY FIBRE OF MY BEING. BELIEVE

ΤΟ AND

THERE IS A LIMIT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL FORGIVE ME NUMBER OF TIMES THAT I CAN SAY A DISCUSSION, CONSULTATION REQUIRES SOMETHING TO COME FROM THE OTHER SIDE. THERE IS, I UNDERSTAND, A WELL

SAYING ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF CLAPPING WITH ONE HAND. I AM KNOWN

A TENNIS PLAYER. PLAYING TENNIS ON MY OWN IS A FAIRLY FRUITLESS OCCUPATION. UNLESS THE BALL COMES BACK OVER THE NET, IT'S RATHER ABOUT DIFFICULT TO HAVE A CO-OPERATIVE GAME. AND WHAT WE ARE TALKING HERE ISN'T A GAME, WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS THE PROSPERITY, STABILITY AND THE WAY OF LIFE OF HONG KONG. THAT PROSPERITY, STABILITY, THAT WAY OF LIFE ARE NOT THREATENED OR CHALLENGED GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG.

THE

THAT

BY

THE

/MRS MIRIAM LAU:

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