XN000022-1993-04-22 — Page 5

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1993

MR CHIM PUI-CHUNG:

(THROUGH INTERPRETER) THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. MR GOVERNOR, AFTER YOU CAME TO HONG KONG, ACTUALLY YOU'VE BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR NINE MONTHS NOW, IN THE PAST NINE MONTHS, REGARDING THE CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE, YOU HAVE MADE A LOT OF PROMISES TO THE PUBLIC. NOW THAT SINO-BRITISH TALKS ARE DUE TO START, PROBABLY WE MAY HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE BASIS OF THE THREE ACCORDS, OR WE MAY HAVE то GO BACK TO THE BASIC PRINCIPAL LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW AND BY THEN, YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE WILL BE REDUCED TO NOTHING AND IF THAT HAPPENS, WHAT KIND OF EXPLANATION YOU WILL BE OFFERING TO THE PUBLIC BECAUSE, IN THE PAST NINE MONTHS, ESPECIALLY ON THE OCTOBER 7 WHEN YOU DELIVERED YOUR POLICY ADDRESS, AFTER THAT IT HAS CREATED A GREAT STIR AMONG MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND SO NO MATTER WHAT ATTITUDE THEY HAVE, THEY ARE ALREADY SUBJECT TO A LOT OF IMPACT FROM YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL PACKAGE AND SO I REALLY DO HOPE THAT YOU CAN TELL, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, REGARDING YOUR PROMISES YOU MADE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE ON THE OCTOBER 7, REGARDING SMOOTH TRANSITION TO 1997, YOU ARE STILL MOVING TOWARDS THIS GOAL?

GOVERNOR:

WE

FIRST OF ALL, WHEN I SET OUT MY PROPOSALS ON THE OCTOBER 7 I SAID THAT I VERY MUCH LOOKED FORWARD

1

TO DISCUSSING THEM WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRC. I'M SORRY THAT IT TOOK UNTIL WE WERE ON THE EVE OF GAZETTING THOSE PROPOSALS AS A BILL APPROVED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR TALKS ABOUT TALKS TO GET UNDERWAY AND I'M ALSO SORRY THAT IT TOOK SO LONG FOR TALKS ABOUT TALKS TO PRODUCE TALKS. NEVERTHELESS, MUCH BETTER, INCOMPARABLY BETTER LATE THAN NEVER AND START THESE TALKS WITH MY PROPOSALS BEING, AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAYS, MODERATELY WELL KNOWN, WITH THE TWO COMPENDIA OF OTHER PROPOSALS REPRESENTING VIEWS OF A NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL AND A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY GROUPS ALSO TOLERABLY WELL KNOWN. MY OWN PROPOSALS WERE, IN MY JUDGEMENT AND THAT OF MANY OTHERS, ENTIRELY IN LINE WITH BOTH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW BUT THEY WEREN'T SET OUT AS A FAIT ACCOMPLI. THEY WERE SET OUT AS PROPOSALS. ONE THING THAT WE WILL BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS WHICH UNFOLD, IS WHAT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES HAVE TO PUT FORWARD BECAUSE, SO FAR, WE HAVEN'T HEARD VERY MUCH ABOUT THOSE.

I HOPE THAT ANY PROPOSALS THEY PUT FORWARD ENJOY THE PUBLIC SUPPORT, WHETHER MEASURED BY VOTES IN THIS COUNCIL, OR BY OPINION POLLS, WHICH THE OCTOBER PROPOSALS CONTINUE TO ENJOY. THE SING TAO POLL THAT I REFERRED TO EARLIER GAVE ALSO THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS.

"DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS OF MR PATTEN'S PACKAGE? TEN LEGCO SEATS TO BE ELECTED BY ELECTED DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS IN THE 1995 ELECTIONS."

66 PER CENT, No

18 PER CENT.

"THE NINE NEW FUNCTIONAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBLE VOTERS", 13 PER CENT.

+

YES -

CONSTITUENCIES AND THE

YES - 76 PER CENT, NO

THEN I AM AFRAID THERE'S A GOAL FOR THE OTHER SIDE.

"ABOLITION

AND THE URBAN COUNCIL".

OF APPOINTED SEATS IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL YES

47 PER CENT.

-

38 PER CENT, NO

—

THAT'S ONE UP TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER.

/"ONE SEAT