THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1993
OUR
OUR
AND
SET I
MR ALFRED TSO (THROUGH INTERPRETKR): MR PRESIDENT, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO ASK THE GOVERNOR ON THE PENSION RESERVE FUND. NOW, EVERYBODY IN COMMUNITY AGREES THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BOOST THE MORALE OF CIVIL SERVANTS. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN MAINTAINING STABILITY PROSPERITY. ALTHOUGH YOU PROPOSE TO USE SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS TO UP THE PENSION RESERVE FUND, IT 1S INDEED A VERY SMALL AMOUNT, AND DON'T THINK IT IS VERY HELPFUL IN GIVING CONFIDENCE TO THE CIVIL SERVANTS AND IN GUARANTEEING THEIR PENSIONS. SO, CAN YOU LET US KNOW WHAT IS THE SUM OF PENSIONS THAT YOU OWE OUR CIVIL SERVANTS NOW, WHETHER YOU WILL HAVE A CONCRETE TIME FRAME IN WHICH YOU WILL INJECT MORE MONEY INTO THIS FUND SO THAT YOU CAN REALLY EASE THE MINDS OF THE CIVIL SERVANTS? THANK YOU,
AND
THE GOVERNOR: FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER ON HIS ARRIVAL IN THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. I AM SURE THAT HE WILL FIND IT AS ENTERTAINING AND CONSTRUCTIVE A WAY OF PASSING HIS HOURS AS HIS 59 COLLEAGUES DO.
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I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND I MUST HAVE VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS OF MAGNITUDE. TO REGARD SEVEN BILLION HONG KONG DOLLARS AS BEING RATHER A TRIVIAL SUM, DOES SEEM TO ME TO GIVE NEW MEANING TO THE CONCEPT OF TRIVIALITY. IF SEVEN BILLION IS TRIVIAL, I THINK MOST MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO BE TRIVIAL WITH THAT SORT OF MONEY. WHAT WE FACE AND PERHAPS I CAN SET OUT THE POSITION IN SOME DETAIL WHAT WE FACE IS A RATHER STRANGE DILEMMA AND REQUEST. THERE IS NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER THAT THE CONTINUING PAYMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS IS A STATUTORY RIGHT, IT IS PERFECTLY CLEAR IN THE LAW, AND A STATUTORY CHARGE ON OUR REVENUES. THERE IS EQUALLY NO DOUBT THAT WE HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY, YEAR ON YEAR, TO GO ON PAYING CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS AS WE HAVE DONE OUT OF GENERAL REVENUE, REPRESENTING AT TOP, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE PER CENT OF WHAT WE HAVE COMING IN.
THERE IS EQUALLY NO DOUBT THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW MAKE PERFECTLY PLAIN THE COMMITMENT OF A FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT ΤΟ PAYING CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS, AS THIS GOVERNMENT HAS DONE UNDER BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY. THAT IS AS PLAIN A COMMITMENT AS THE COMMITMENTS то WHAT SHALL I SAY? FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY, FREEDOM OF WORSHIP, AND ALL THOSE OTHER MATTERS. NOW, ON THOSE OTHER MATTERS, CHINESE OFFICIALS ARE NOT SAYING, "BUT WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE DOUBLE- BANKING IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT THIS PRINCIPLE IS STOOD BY FOR THE FUTURE" IN THE CASE OF CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS, THEY HAVE TAKEN RATHER A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW.
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MY OWN CONCERN, AND MY PRINCIPAL CONCERN, HAS BEEN TO SATISFY WHAT SOME MAY THINK IS A SLIGHTLY IRRATIONAL CONCERN AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS BUT IT IS A CONCERN WHICH NEVERTHELESS EXISTS, AND WHERE POSSIBLE, I WANT TO TRY TO DO ALL WE CAN TO SAFEGUARD AND PRESERVE CIVIL SERVICE MORALE DURING THIS VERY DIFFICULT PERIOD. SO, GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE BOOKS LOOK PARTICULARLY GOOD AT THE MOMENT WE THOUGHT IT WAS SENSIBLE TO IDENTIFY A REASONABLE SUM OF MONEY TO SET ASIDE FOR PARTIAL FUNDING OF PENSIONS. AND I THINK THAT THE AMOUNT THAT WE SERVANTS, NOT BY ITS
HAVE SET ASIDE HAS SURPRISED SOME CIVIL TRIVIALITY BUT BY ITS SCALE.
7
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/WE WILL
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