XN000022-1993-03-12 — Page 11

10

FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993

A

OF

A

MEMBER, GOVERNOR : I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, AS MUCH AS THE HONOURABLE

SMOOTH TRANSITION Ι

A LIKE TO SEE WOULD TRANSITION. SMOOTH ARRANGEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR ELECTIONS WHICH ARE FAIR RATHER THAN

IT WOULDN'T SMOOTH TRANSITION OF ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WEREN'T FAIR.

SMOOTH TRANSITION OF SEEM ΤΟ ME TO MAKE VERY MUCH SENSE TO HAVE A ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND WHICH THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE MIGHT REGARD AS DISHONOURABLE. SO WE WANT TO SEE TRANSITION BUT WE ALSO WANT TO SEE A SMOOTH TRANSITION ELECTORAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.

A SMOOTH OF SENSIBLE

IN ORDER TO SECURE THERE IS ONE OTHER THING THAT I SHOULD SAY.

AND A SMOOTH TRANSITION IT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT TO BE AS ACCOMMODATING

WHILE MILLIONS OF WORDS OF ABUSE CONCILIATORY AS ONE POSSIBLY CAN BE.

AND THE HONG KONG HAVE BEEN HEAPED ON THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

AND QUIET GOVERNOR OVER THE LAST MONTHS, I'VE TRIED TO KEEP AS MILD

SHOULD THINK THAT BEING BUT NOBODY AND

AS CALM

POSSIBLE. ACCOMMODATING, BEING CONCILIATORY IS THE SAME PRINCIPLES. I THINK THAT THIS COUNCIL WOULD BE THAT WHAT IS MEANT BY A SMOOTH TRANSITION IS GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD NEVER, A BOTTOM LINE. THAT'S NOT THE BASIS FOR A SENSIBLE SMOOTH TRANSITION.

AS ABANDONING YOUR SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT THE HONG KONG IN DISCUSSIONS, HAVE

MR STEPHEN CHRONG: SIR, YOU HAVEN'T ANSWERED MY SECOND PART

QUESTION.

OF THE

GOVERNOR:

WHICH WAS?

MR STEPHEN CHEONG: WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT DO THEIR OWN THING AND LET THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT DO THEIR OWN THING AFTER 1997?

NOW

ARRANGEMENTS,

GOVERNOR: WHAT WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DO IS TO PUT IN PLACE NOT ONLY WHICH ARE WHOLLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION BUT ENSHRINED IN THE JOINT PRINCIPLES WHICH SEEK TO BUTTRESS

THE

ARRANGEMENTS

DECLARATION.

WE WILL ALSO TRY TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER

VIEW ARE PUT IN PLACE IN HONG KONG AND ENSURE IN OUR VIEW AND IN THE

AND I VERY OF THES COUNCIL, A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO THE BASIC LAW.

FIND MUCH HOPE THAT THE SORT OF ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THIS COUNCIL WOULD

BY A CREDIBLE ACCEPTABLE FOUND 1997 WILL BEFORE

BE ACCEPTABLE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AFTER 1997, TOO,

MR

SAYING EXPLAINED TO

OF LEGISLATION MAY NOT

HOWARD YOUNG: MR PRESIDENT, SIR, ALTHOUGH YOU ARE RIGHT IN

HAVE GROUPS VARIOUS THAT OVER

FORTNIGHT THE LAST OFFICIALS IN BEIJING THE SIGNIFICANCE AND NECESSITY PASSED TN THE COUNCIL, I WOULD THINK THAT TIME CONSTRAINTS

SO WILL THE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPLAIN THESE TO VERY MINUTE DETAILS.

THAT THERE IS A GOVERNMENT EXERT ALL EFFORTS TO ALSO MAKE CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN GAZETTING AND ACTUALLY INTRODUCING IN THE COUNCIL, THAT SHOULD AND THAT LEGALLY AND PROCEDURE-WISE IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE

OF TALKS COMMENCE AFTER GAZETTING, THEN THERE COULD BE EVEN GAZETTAL

THAT WOULD TAKE INTO AMENDMENTS OR WHATEVER BEFORE INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSIONS

ANY OF

NEGOTIATIONS ACCOUNT ANY REASONABLE BETWEEN GAZETTAL AND INTRODUCTION INTO THE COUNCIL?

AND FAIR

/GOVERNOR