XN000022-1992-12-01 — Page 8

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1992

THE

FAIR,

I'VE

IF I

THE

AS FOR THE OTHER TWO PROPOSALS, I CAN

ONLY

FORWARD FROM WHAT I'VE SAID EARLIER, IF PROPOSALS COME REPEAT THIS COUNCIL, OR IF PROPOSALS COME FORWARD FROM ANYWHERE ELSE IN COMMUNITY, WHICH IN MY JUDGMENT, AND IN THE COUNCIL'S, ARE MORE ARE BETTER, ARE BASED ON BETTER PREMISES THAN THE PROPOSALS THAT MADB, I REMAIN OPEN-MINDED AND I REMAIN READY TO CONSIDER THEM. HADN'T BEEN IN THAT STATE OF MIND, WHEN I SPOKE TO THE COUNCIL ON 7TH OCTOBER I WOULD HAVE ANNOUNCED THE DECISIONS THAT I WAS NOT

PROPOSALS THAT I WAS PROPOSING. THE

THAT So I HOPE COMPLICATING MATTERS TOO MUCH, THE POSITION IS CLEAR TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND TO OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS.

MAKING, WITHOUT

MAJORITIES

1 WOULD ONLY ADD THIS. SUBSTANTIVE DEBATES ON THE TWO BEEN

PROPOSALS

OCTOBER. IN

IN BOTH THOSE DEBATES THERE

FOR THE GENERAL APPROACH WHICH I

THERE HAVE,

THAT

PUT I WERE FAIRLY

I

HAD

THINK, FORWARD SUBSTANTIAL

TAKEN.

AND I'M SURE THAT IN CONSIDERING PROPOSALS AND THAT IN CONSIDERING THE WAY FORWARD, HONOURABLE MEMBERS WOULD WANT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THAT,

SELINA CHOW: THE BREAKDOWN

GOVERNMENT,

ог WHAT

SIR, GIVEN THE LATEST TURN OF DIALOGUE BETWEEN YOUR GOOD SELF

THE AND ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ENSURE THAT AS WELL, "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" CONCEPT WHICH YOU'VE MENTIONED THAT THE SMOOTH TRANSITION PROMISED TO THE HONG KONG PEOPLE JOINT DECLARATION BY THE TWO GOVERNMENTS WILL BE ACHIEVED?

EVENTS AND CHINESE THE AS EARLIER, THE IN

GOVERNOR:

WOULD

I

THE SMOOTH TRANSITION ISN'T, I ARGUE, BEING THREATENED BY AN ATTEMPT TO HAVE A RATIONAL DIALOGUE. CAN'T DO MORE THAN HOLD MYSELF READY TO TALK TO ANYBODY OR TO CONSIDER ANY

WHAT OTHER REASONABLE IDEAS. IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO KNOW POSTURE THAT ONE SHOULD GET INTO. IF IRRATIONAL THINGS ARE SAID BY OTHERS, SHOULD ONE RESPOND BY BEING IRRATIONAL ONESELF? SEEM TO ME THAT THERE IS VERY MUCH OF A CASE FOR THAT.

HAVE THE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER THAT WE SHOULD CONCERNED AS TRANSITION. I'M NOT SURE THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, EXAMPLE, IT WAS TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS TO THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

BY UNFAIR

THE FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS WHICH WERE REGARDED AS BEING COUNCIL.

IT DOESN'T BUT I'M AS

SMOOTH FOR

A

LET ME GIVE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AN EXAMPLE OF THE SORT OF THING I MEAN. THERE WERE NEGOTIATIONS ON COURT OF

THE OUTCOME OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS FINAL APPEAL. THIS COUNCIL. THIS COUNCIL HAD A GOOD DEAL OF DIFFICULTY OUTCOME OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS. IT'S COMMON TO ALL OF US THAT WE WANT

HAS OF

HAD SOME COURT

COUNCIL FINAL APPEAL, BUT THUS FAR THIS DIFFICULTY WITH THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT WERE PUT FORWARD. LIKE TO BE IN THAT POSITION OVER THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1995,

POLITICAL AND I DON'T THINK THAT IF I WERE, IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THE STABILITY OF HONG KONG OR FOR A SMOOTH TRANSITION.

THE

CAME то WITH THE

I WOULD NOT

/RONALD ARGULLI: