XN000022-1992-11-02 — Page 3

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1992

SO HOW HAS ALL THIS HAPPENED? LET ME SET THE PRESENT DEBATE IN ITS CONTEXT BY REPEATING WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE 10 VERY SIMPLE TRUTHS.

THE FIRST IS THAT THE 28TH GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG DIDN'T INVENT THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO BRING FORWARD PROPOSALS FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE 1995 ELECTIONS. AS YOU'LL KNOW, SINCE 1989/1990, THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO PRESSING FOR A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION AND TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ELECTED SEATS IN 1995. I SUGGESTED, IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON THE 7TH OF OCTOBER, A DIFFERENT APPROACH BASED ON WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAD SAID TO ME IN THE THREE MONTHS SINCE I FIRST BECAME GOVERNOR.

SECONDLY, THE APPROACH WHICH I'VE PUT FORWARD IS WHOLLY CONSISTENT BOTH WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND WITH THE BASIC LAW. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE OTHERWISE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, HENCE, I SUSPECT, SOME OF THE ADJECTIVES WHICH HAVE BEEN USED. I ALWAYS THINK THAT ADJECTIVES ARE A POOR REPLACEMENT FOR ARGUMENTS.

THIRDLY, THE ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT TO DO IN 1995, AREN'T TO BE FOUND IN THE BASIC LAW. THE BASIC LAW DOESN'T TELL US WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE VOTING METHOD FOR DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS. THE BASIC LAW IS SILENT, LITERALLY SILENT, ON WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES OR ABOUT THE ELECTION COMMITTEE.

FOURTH, IT'S NOT, THEREFORE, ENOUGH FOR CRITICS TO SAY WHEN WE SAY DON'T JUST SAY WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHAT WE'VE PROPOSED, SAY WHAT YOU WOULD DO IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR THOSE CRITICS TO

SAY, "BUT WE'VE SAID IT ALL, WE'VE SAID IT ALL IN THE BASIC LAW,

IT ISN'T SET OUT IN THE BASIC LAW AND THEREFORE CRITICS, I REPEAT, SHOULD PUT FORWARD THEIR OWN ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS IF THEY DON'T LIKE MY OWN.

NOW.

*T

FIFTH, I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE DOING I THINK THAT HONG KONG WON'T UNDERSTAND IF CRITICS OF MY PROPOSALS, WHETHER HERE IN THE TERRITORY OR OUTSIDE, SIMPLY DENOUNCE THE ARGUMENTS THAT I'VE PUT FORWARD. I THINK IT'S INCUMBENT ON EVERYONE TO PUT FORWARD ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS AND TO BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS THEM. AND I HOPE, FOR INSTANCE, THAT CHINA WILL BE PREPARED TO DO THAT IN THE FORUM OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, AN IDEA WHICH CHINA WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I WAS IN PEKING.

NO THAT

SIXTH,

DEAL,

WAY

THERE HASN'T BEEN, IN THE PAST, A SECRET SECRET AGREEMENT, NO SECRET UNDERSTANDING. AND I NOTICE THE

THE "DEAL" TURNED INTO AN "AGREEMENT" TURNED INTO AN "UNDERSTANDING".

BUT IF OTHERS ACTUALLY THINK THAT THERE WAS A SECRET DEAL OR AGREEMENT OR UNDERSTANDING, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, LET THEM SAY PRECISELY WHAT THAT SECRET UNDERTAKING OR UNDERSTANDING AMOUNTED TO. THAT WOULD BE A

HELPFUL WAY FORWARD, PERHAPS, OFFERING AN ALTERNATIVE TO WHAT SUGGESTED.

VERY

I'VE

/NEXT, THE