XN000022-1993-04-06 — Page 11

10

TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1993

be able to put them behind us in due course. I do not believe that these problems would be any easier to solve if we were to put off the time when we came at them, but the sooner we can get them out of the way, the better. With those problems out of the way the future of Hong Kong is, I believe, extremely bright.

It is, as many of you will know, a unique mixture: a

community which stands at the gateway to the economic revolution which is taking place in China now to the benefit not only of China but of the whole world. It is a community which stands at the crossroads of Asia, the fastest growing region in the world. It is a community which brings together all the attributes of A market economy and of the rule of law, I think that, provided the rule of law and the market economy continue to operate hand in hand, then Hong Kong will have an extraordinarily successful future. Those who see it playing in relation to mainland China, economically, the same sort of role that New York plays in relation to the opening up of the American economy a century ago, are not far-fetched in their predictions.

-

I do think for reasons that I have argued on a number of

occasions, that a credible I do not say a democratic - but a

credible Legislative Council is part of the framework of the rule

of law and, if one were to take that away, just as if one were

to take away freedom of speech, Hong Kong would not only be a

less agreeable and tolerant community in which to live, but it

would also be a less prosperous and successful community too.

When considering how best to exercise, how best to discharge

our responsibilities to 6 million people in Hong Kong, there are

at least a couple of questions that we need to address.

First

/OF ALL