XN000022-1993-03-12 — Page 10

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FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993

CAN I JUST, ON A POINT OF ELUCIDATION, IN RESPONSE TO ANOTHER QUESTION

A QUESTION FROM THE HONOURABLE LADY WHO ASKED ME ABOUT MEMBERS OF BRITISH TEAMS IN FORMAL DIPLOMATIC TALKS WITH THE CHINESE WHO DID NOT HAVE BRITISH PASSPORTS

OR OTHERS HAVE IDENTIFIED THREE SUCH OFFICIALS FOR ME AND I CAN GIVE THOSE NAMES ΤΟ THE HONOURABLE LADY ANY TIME SHE WOULD LIKE.

T

MR ERIC LI MR PRESIDENT, MR GOVERNOR, YOU HAVE NOW GAZETTED A BILL AND NOT MADE A DECISION TO INTRODUCE IT TO THIS COUNCIL. THAT CLEARLY SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT YOU STILL HOPE THAT TALKS WILL RESUME AND THAT YOU MAY BE WILLING TO AMEND YOUR PROPOSALS BEFORE TAKING THEM TO THIS COUNCIL. DO YOU HAVE AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE BEYOND WHICH YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO WAIT FOR THE CHINESE BEFORE INTRODUCING THE FINAL BILL ΤΟ THE COUNCIL AND ONCE THE BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED, DOES IT IMPLY THAT YOU WILL NO LONGER CONSIDER MAKING ANY AMENDMENT TO THE BILL BY THE GOVERNMENT IRRESPECTIVE OF THE OUTCOME OF THE TALKS?

GOVERNOR: ON THE LATTER POINT, WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE TALKS I CERTAINLY COULDN'T GIVE ANY GUARANTEE THAT THE EXECUTIVE WOULDN'T SEEK TO AMEND THE LEGISLATION WHEN IT'S BEING CONSIDERED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THIS COUNCIL. FOR EXAMPLE, LET ME TAKE AN OBVIOUS POINT; I THINK THAT INDIVIDUAL COUNCILLORS WILL HAVE VIEWS ABOUT THE LEGISLATION AND THEY MAY HAVE VIEWS WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT'S, AND THEY MAY HAVE VIEWS WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE GOVERNMENT'S AND COMMAND MAJORITY SUPPORT IN THIS COUNCIL, IN WHICH CASE THE GOVERNMENT MAY WELL HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THOSE VIEWS IN SUBSEQUENT PARTS OF THE BILL. IT MAY HAVE TO AMEND OTHER PARTS OF THE BILL TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF AMENDMENTS MADE BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ITSELF. ON THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN'S FIRST QUESTION; WE DON'T HAVE AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE. IF I'D HAD AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WAIT SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY IN ORDER TO GAZETTE THE LEGISLATION BUT AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, WE DO WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE COUNCIL HAS THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT WILL REQUIRE AND THAT IT WOULD WANT IN ORDER TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSALS THAT ARE BEFORE IT. I THINK IT WOULD BE PRETTY INSULTING TO THE COUNCIL IF I WAS TO SAY WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHEN WE BRING THE BILLS FORWARD INTO THE COUNCIL BECAUSE THE COUNCIL WILL SPEND AS LITTLE TIME AS WE REQUIRE ON DEBATING THESE MATTERS. I DON'T WANT TO SET A DEADLINE, I DON'T WANT TO RING A DATE IN THE CALENDAR, BUT TIME IS NOT INFINITE AND IF THERE ARE NOT GOING TO BE TALKS, THEN I'M SURE THAT MANY HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL TAKE THE VIEW THAT WE SHOULD GET ON WITH LEGISLATING.

MR STEPHEN CHEONG: GOVERNOR, IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT THERE IS NO TALK BEING ANNOUNCED TODAY, AND SHOULD FURTHER ATTEMPTS FOR TALKS FAIL WILL, THE GOVERNOR PLEASE INFORM THIS COUNCIL, HOW YOU, SIR, AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, IS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION PROMISED TO US IN THE JOINT DECLARATION WILL HAPPEN IF CONTINUITY OF SYSTEMS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED? AND WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DO YOUR OWN THING BETWEEN NOW AND 1997 AND THEN LET THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT DO THEIR TRING AFTER 1997?

OWN

/GOVERNOR

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