XN000022-1992-12-01 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1992

MARTIN LEE: MR PRESIDENT, DO YOU FEEL THAT WE SHOULD ASK OUR QUESTIONS OR WOULD YOU MUCH RATHER WE SIT DOWN?

GOVERNOR:

·

IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING, IN YOUR HANDS.

STAND UP то

MARTIN LEE:

USUALLY, A BARRISTER THINKS MORE CLEARLY WHEN HE'S STANDING UP, THEREFORE I WILL ASK MY QUESTION STANDING UP. SINCE 1991, DEMOCRACY WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES AND AT THAT ELECTION THOSE WHO ARE FOR DEMOCRACY WON. AND HERE, OUT OF THE 18 PEOPLE IN THE DEMOCRACTIC CAMP,

17 SUPPORT YOUR PROPOSALS.

SO COULD YOU THEREFORE GUARANTEE TO US THAT SHOULD MOST OF THE DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOU, YOU WILL NOT BACK-PEDAL OR ABANDON YOUR ORIGINAL PROPOSALS?

GOVERNOR:

MY POSITION REMAINS AS I DESCRIBED IT

THE

EARLIER. I THINK THE PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD ARE GOOD ONES. PROPOSALS I PUT FORWARD HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. THE PROPOSALS THAT I'VE PUT FORWARD HAVE BEEN, I THINK SO FAR, WELL RECEIVED IN HONG KONG. I REMAIN OPEN TO DISCUSS PROPOSALS WHICH ANYBODY ELSE PUTS FORWARD WHICH THEY REGARD AS BETTER THAN MINE. BY BETTER I MEAN MORE OPEN, MORE FAIR AND MORE ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. BUT 1 HAVEN'T BEEN OVERWHELMED THUS FAR BY SUCH

PROPOSALS, THOUGH I'M DELIGHTED THAT, I THINK THREE OR FOUR,

HONOURABLE MEMBERS HAVE BEGUN TO PUT FORWARD THEIR OWN IDEAS.

THE

LET ME THEN TURN TO THE POINT WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER MADE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT SORTS OF MANDATE IN THIS COUNCIL.. THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IS AS IT IS. IT WOULD BE WRONG OF ME TO MAKE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT HONOURABLE MEMBERS. COMMUNITY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ELECTIONS IN 1991 AND DOUBTLESS THE COMMUNITY MAKES CERTAIN JUDGMENTS AS A RESULT OF THOSE ELECTION RESULTS. BUT IT WOULD BE WHOLLY WRONG OF ME TO MAKE DISTINCTIONS RETWEEN HONOURABLE MEMBERS, ACCORDING TO THE BACKGROUNDS FROM WHICH THEY CAME. THOSE BACKGROUNDS WILL OF COURSE CHANGE IN 1995, 1999 AND IN SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS TO THE COUNCIL.

ELSIE TU:

SIR,

AS A TEACHER, I WOULD LIKE TO STAND UP. I HAVE CORRESPONDENCE HERE TO PROVE THAT IN 1978, BRITAIN REFUSED TO BEGIN GRADUAL PROGRESS TOWARDS DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG ON THE GROUNDS THAT CHINA WAS OPPOSED TO IT AND THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S OVERRIDING CONCERN WAS TO MAINTAIN STABILITY AND PROSPERITY IN HONG KONG. SINCE YOUR GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT DE-STABILISE HONG KONG UNDER BRITISH ADMINISTRATION, WHY IS IT PREPARED TO SKE HONG KONG DE- STABILISED BY A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRACY NOW THAT THE BRITISH LEAVING?

ARE

/GOVERNOR:

WELL,