XN000022-1993-03-12 — Page 14

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FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 1993

MR EDWARD HO:

MR PRESIDENT, GOVERNOR, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE DECIDED THAT TIME HAS RUN OUT AND YOU HAVE TO GAZETTE THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS NO LATER THAN TODAY, YET YOU HAVE INDICATED THAT YOU HAVE

WHEN YOU WILL INTRODUCE THESE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS

TO

THE

ΤΟ

NOT DECIDED THIS COUNCIL. IF YOU CAN DO THE LATTER, WHY CAN'T YOU POSTPONE FORMER, THAT IS DEFER THE GAZETTAL UNTIL IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY? IS IT BECAUSE YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT ANY CRITICISMS THAT MAY BE PUT YOU OF POSSIBLY CAVING-IN TO THE CHINESE? AND FURTHER TO THAT, YOU TAKEN ANY SOUNDINGS FROM THIS COUNCIL, MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL, TO THE TIMING OF THE GAZETTAL AND ARE YOU PREPARED TO TAKE SOUNDINGS FROM THIS COUNCIL ON THE TIMING OF INTRODUCTION OF THOSE PROPOSALS THIS COUNCIL?

GOVERNOR:

ACCORDANCE

WITH

HAVE AS

ΤΟ

I

IF I WAS WORRIED ABOUT CRITICIMS, I GUESS THAT

MONTHS. I WOULD HAVE PURSUED A RATHER DIFFERENT PATH OVER RECENT DON'T THINK THAT POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, I DON'T THINK THAT LEADERSHIP OF A COMMUNITY, IS ABOUT LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER THE WHOLE TIME AT

! THINK CRITICISM.

THAT IF I ATTEMPTED TO GOVERN

IN HONG KONG THE PLAUDITS OF WEN WEI PO' I'D TAKE SOMB PRETTY CURIOUS DECISIONS.

A WE HAVE TO TAKE DECISIONS ABOUT LEGISLATION STEP AT A TIME. I EXPLAINED EARLIER THAT THE FIRST DECISION FOR US TO LEGISLATIVE TAKE WAS THE DECISION OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO ENDORSE

AND PROPOSALS,

WE DID THAT.

DECISION TO GAZETTE. THE THIRD STEP, THE THIRD DECISION, IS THE DECISION WHEN TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION. YOU CAN'T TAKE THE THIRD DECISION WITHOUT TAKING THE SECOND.

THE THE NEXT DECISION IS

SUGGESTED,

DOES

TO

ΤΟ WE

THE

BUT I DO SUGGEST TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER, AND TO OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS, THAT THEY LOOK CAREFULLY AT MY STATEMENT,

THEY THAT

CONSIDER

LAST WHAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING IN THE

WEEKS CHINESE OFFICIALS, THAT THEY CONSIDER WHETHER THERE IS ANY ELEMENT, ANY ELEMENT

PREPARED AT ALL, OF THE PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE BEEN STAND ON WHICH IS UNREASONABLE. WHAT,

IN THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH

AN THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN THINK WAS

UNREASONABLE STANCE BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT? THAT'S A DECISION WHICH WHOLE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE WHOLE COMMUNITY SHOULD ACTUALLY TAKE ACCOUNT OF. I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S THE VIEW OF THE COMMUNITY OR THE VIEW OF INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS 'THAT

KONG THE HONG

GOVERNMENT

EVER, UNDER ANY

HAVE CIRCUMSTANCES,

A THAT WOULD BE BACKBONE, OR TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY, HAVE A BOTTOM LINE. A VERY CURIOUS WAY TO GOVERN HONG KONG.

NEVER, SHOULD

WILL DECISION ACCOUNT OF

TAKE

THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY ON

NEED OFF

TAKE ACCOUNT BELIEVE THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER OR OTHER LEGISLATORS ARE GOING TO SAY TO THE GOVERNMENT: WE WILL GIVE YOU A GUARANTEE THAT

WON'T ON PUTTING VERY MUCH TIME TO DEBATE THESE BILLS, SO YOU CAN GO INTRODUCING THEM TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AS LONG AS YOU I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE POSITION OF COUNCILLORS. I'D BE VERY SURPRISED IF IT WAS.

THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN ASKS NEXT, WHETHER OF THE VIEWS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ACCOUNT

WE TAKE ON INTRODUCING THE THAT

AND THE VIEWS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON THAT,

OF

THAT,

I

WE

COUNCIL

IN

THE

LEGISLATION.

WE'LL

TAKE

WE'LL

BUT

DON'T

WE

LIKE.

LEGISLATIVE

/MR EDWARD