XN000022-1993-01-12 — Page 2

THE GOVERNOR

HONOURABLE MEMBERS,

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1993

THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN'S ADDRESS TO LEGCO MEMBERS

ON TUESDAY, 12TH JANUARY 1993

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IT IS JUST OVER THREE MONTHS SINCE MY ADDRESS TO THIS COUNCIL SETTING OUT A POLICY AGENDA FOR HONG KONG BETWEEN NOW AND 1997.

I'M GLAD то SAY THAT THIS HAS GENERATED A GOOD DEAL OF DISCUSSION AND DEBATE SINCE OCTOBER 7TH, ALTHOUGH IF YOU RELIED SOLELY ON THE MEDIA FOR WIIAT HAS BEEN SAID YOU COULD BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING THAT THE ADDRESS CONCENTRATED ENTIRELY ON CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES AND VERY LITTLE ELSE.

THIS IS NOT, PERHAPS, SURPRISING. THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1995 LEGCO ELECTIONS, THE LAST BEFORE HONG KONG'S CHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTY, ARE OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO THE COMMUNITY. THIS IS AN ISSUE ON WHICH THERE ARE STRONG VIEWS AND GENUINE DIFFERENCES BOTH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ITSELF AND BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWERS.

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PROPOSALS THAT I PUT FORWARD ON THE 7TH OCTOBER SOUGHT FIND A POINT OF BALANCE BETWEEN THOSE DIFFERING POSITIONS. NATURAL, INDEED IT IS FURTHER PROOF OF THE MATURE AND SOPHISTICATED SOCIETY THAT HONG KONG IS, THAT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUCH AN ACTIVE DEBATE ON WHETHER THE BALANCE THAT I SOUGHT WAS THE RIGHT ONE OR WHETHER MORE WEIGHTS WERE NEEDED AT ONE END OF THE SCALE OR THE OTHER.

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THE NEXT STAGE OF THAT DEBATE WILL BE STARTING IN A FEW WEEKS' TIME IN THIS CHAMBER WHEN DRAFT LEGISLATION ON THESE CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS, THE TERMS OF WHICH ARE PRESENTLY BEING DISCUSSED BY EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, WHEN THAT LEGISLATION WILL BE INTRODUCED. DEBATE WILL BRING WITH IT HEAVY RESPONSIBILITIES. MEMBERS WILL TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE REASONABLE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF KONG FOR A GREATER SAY IN THEIR OWN AFFAIRS ON THE ONE HAND, AND THEIR DESIRE FOR STABILITY AND CONTINUITY ON THE OTHER.

HAVE HONG

THESE MATTERS ARE WEIGHTY AND IMPORTANT, IT'S NATURAL THAT THEY SHOULD OCCUPY A GREAT DEAL OF OUR ATTENTION. THAT WILL NO DOUBT CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE FOR SOME MONTHS TO COME, BUT LIFE GOES ON AND IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE IF WE ALLOWED POLITICAL ISSUES TO DOMINATE ALL OUR THINKING WHILE NEGLECTING ENTIRELY THE REST OF THE GOVERNMENT'S THAT IS WHY MUCH OF MY SPEECH IN OCTOBER CONCENTRATED ON A RANGE OF OTHER ISSUES AFFECTING THE LIVELIHOOD AND THE WELL-BEING OP HONG KONG CITIZENS.

PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES.

/I GAVE