XN000022-1993-10-07 — Page 25

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1993

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WE HAVE TO BE JUST AS POSITIVE ABOUT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISABLED PEOPLE. AND IN DOING THAT, WE ARE NOT JUST BEING FAIR TO THE DISABLED, WE ARE DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG BECAUSE WE NEED THE SKILLS AND ABILITIES WHICH DISABLED PEOPLE CAN BRING TO OUR ECONOMY AND OUR COMMUNITY. SO I ANNOUNCED IN MY SPEECH YESTERDAY, THAT WE ARE INTENDING TO EXTEND THE RANGE RETRAINING FUND SO THAT IT CAN HELP THE DISABLED TRAIN FOR WELL AS HELP THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF CHANGES, TECHNOLOGICALLY, IN THEIR FIRM, OR FOR OTHER REASONS.

OF OUR JOBS, AS

BUT WE NEED TO LOOK, AS WELL, AT THE OTHER ISSUES RAISED IN THE GREEN PAPER ON REHABILITATION, INCLUDING SELF- EMPLOYMENT, AND I CAN PROMISE YOU WE WILL DO SO IN THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THE OUTCOME OF THOSE TALKS IN GOVERNMENT WITH DISABLED GROUPS AGAIN.

HONOURABLE

GOVERNOR, EVERYONE HERE

THROUGH TRAIN AFTER CHAPTER 3. CONDITION

1997, BILL OF 27, AND FREE EXPECT. WHAT SOME POLITICAL

QUESTION (IN ENGLISH): EXPECTS THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH, RIGHTS, IN THE BASIC LAW, ELECTIONS SEEM NOT TO BE PROTECTED AS WHAT WE ADDITIONAL MEASURES CAN ACHIEVE THIS GOAL? AND CRITICS ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT BRITAIN SEEMS ΤΟ BE LEAVING SOME POLITICAL SPACE SO THAT THEY ARE VERY KEEN ON THE INTERESTS OF THE FREE ELECTIONS I MEAN FOR THE 1994-5 ELECTIONS. WHAT HELP US ΤΟ DEFRND THIS.

AND ALWAYS REMINDS ME THAT POLITICAL NEGOTIATIONS SHOULD BE

ΤΟ MAKE IT SIMPLE, WHY TECHNICALLY WE CANNOT SEPARATE 1994 AND 1995 CONCLUSIVELY, WE, ALL THE PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, APPRECIATE THE EXCELLENT MANAGEMENT OF THE BRITISH, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE, NATIVE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ISLAND, NEW TERRITORIES AND KOWLOON PENINSULAR. THANK YOU.

-

+

WANT

ELECTIONS?

GOVERNOR:

CAN I TAKE THOSE AS TWO SEPARATE QUESTIONS, FIRST OF ALL, TO EXPLAIN THE PROBLEMS OF TIMING IN MAKING THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994 AND '95 ELECTIONS, AND SECONDLY, TO TRY ΤΟ ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HOW WE CAN BEST GUARANTEE ALL THOSE VALUES WHICH HAVE MADE HONG KONG SUCH A MARVELLOUS PLACE TO LIVE, WHICH HAVE MADE KONG AN OPEN AND SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY.

HONG

FIRST, THE QUESTION OF THE TIMING OF LEGISLATION, AS I SAID TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON, WE'RE GETTING PRETTY TIGHT FOR TIME FOR THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD AND MUNICIPAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS, AS WELL AS FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS. UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WE WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAVE ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE BY NOW FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS, SO THAT CANDIDATES COULD BE GETTING TO KNOW THEIR WARDS, SO THAT PEOPLE COULD BE PREPARING FOR NEXT YEAR'S DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION ARRANGEMENTS HAVE то BE MADE LEGISLATIVELY BY NEXT JULY. THERE'S A LONG PROCESS BEFORE THAT: DRAFTING THE BILLS, GETTING THE BILLS DISCUSSED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AND AFTER WE HAVE DONE THAT, THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION HAVE TO BRING FORWARD MORE LEGISLATION ON ISSUES LIKE THE VOTER REGISTRATION FOR THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. SO WITH THE BEST WILL IN THE WORLD, TRY AS WE MIGHT, WE HAVEN'T GOT VERY MUCH MORE TIME. SO, I REPEAT, WE'RE NOT RUSHING ANY FENCES; WE'RE NOT ACTING IN A PRECIPITATED AND IN A TOO SPEEDY WAY. WE'RE ACTUALLY LEANING OVER BACKWARDS TO TRY TO GIVE MORE TIME FOR THESE DISCUSSIONS.

/OF COURSE,