NEGOTIATING
FROM
5
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1993
TEAM
NEXT BOARD
NOW YOU KNOW WHAT A REASONABLE MAN I AM, AND OUR IN THESE TALKS HAS OF COURSE APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATION THE ALUMNI OF HONG KONG U (UNIVERSITY), SO OUR DEFINITION VERY REASONABLE AS WELL.
TEAM IS BY AND I HAVE SAID VERY CLEARLY THAT IF THE CHINESE NEGOTIATORS, NEXT TIME OUR NEGOTIATING TEAMS MEET, WEEK. SAY, "OF COURSE WE CAN SET ASIDE AS AGREED THE DISTRICT AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, THE VOTING METHOD AND THE VOTING AGE", IF THEY SAY WE CAN SET ASIDE THOSE MATTERS AS AGREED, I WOULD WE
BE COULD PUT THAT IN THE BAG.
DELIGHTED! AND THEN WE COULD CONCENTRATE REALLY
ON THE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, LIKE THE THROUGH TRAIN. WILL BEGIN THE 14TH ROUND WITH A SPRING IN OUR STEPS IF MR JIANG ENZHU SO ALL OF US FROM THE CHINESE SIDE CONFIRMS, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT ROUND TALKS, WHICH I HOPE SHOULD BE FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, THAT THOSE MATTERS ARE ALL SETTLED NOW.
OF
EASY
STILL GOT
LASTLY: BUT EVEN IF HE DOES THAT, WE HAVE SOME DIFFICULT ISSUES TO TACKLE AND WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT. THAT IS NOT A PROVOCATIVE REMARK ON MY PART, IT IS A DESCRIPTION REALITY,
AND
OF
QUESTION (THROUGH INTERPRETER): YOU
THAT
YOU
AN
THIS HONG
BY
MR. GOVERNOR, YOU JUST SAID WERE A VERY REASONABLE MAN, BUT I THINK IN SOME WAYS CONTRADICT YOURSELF. IN YOUR LAST POLICY ADDRESS YOU TOLD US THAT THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTION FOR $95 WILL BE BASED ON ELECTORATE OF MORE THAN TWO MILLION VOTERS, AND YOU TOLD US THAT IS A FAIR, OPEN PRINCIPLE WHICH IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF KONG. BUT THIS YEAR YOU TOLD US THAT THERE IS A CHANGE IN THE BRITISH STANCE AND THE ELECTORATE WILL BE LESS THAN YOUR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL TWO THIRDS, AND YOU STILL TOLD US THAT THIS IS ALSO FAIR, OPEN ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. NOW, THIS IS MY QUESTION. GOVERNOR, ACTUALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF ELECTION WILL ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG? HAVE YOU SERIOUSLY THE OPINION OF HONG KONG, SUCH AS THE HOLDING OF A
RATHER THAN LEAVING THE MATTER TO THE LEGISLATURE YOU HINTED THAT IS NOT FAIR, NOT OPEN AND NOT ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG? I AM SORRY
BE
CONSIDERED
REFERENDUM,
·
•
AND
MR
WHICH
QUESTION (THROUGH INTERPRETER):
I MEAN THE LEGISLATURE WHICH NOT OPEN, NOT FAIR AND NOT ACCEPTABLE ENOUGH TO THE PEOPLE OF KONG.
IS
HONG
THE
GOVERNOR:
OK I THINK I'VE GOT THE DRIFT.
+
I THINK THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANT TWO THINGS. I THINK FIRST OF ALL THEY WANT ELECTION
DECENT ARRANGEMENTS, BECAUSE THEY RECOGNISE THAT AN INDEPENDENT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, PROPERLY ELECTED, IS AN IMPORTANT CENTRAL PART OF THE RULE OF LAW. SECOND, I THINK THAT THEY WANT, IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE IT, A SMOOTH TRANSITION THROUGH
1997, WITH AN BETWEEN
AGREEMENT BRITAIN AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND CHINA ABOUT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS AND OTHER MATTERS. I DON'T THINK THAT BELIEVE
THEY WE SHOULD SACRIFICE OUR PRINCIPLES FOR AN AGREEMENT BUT DO WANT US TO WORK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE FOR AN AGREEMENT.
THEY LAST AUTUMN, IN 1992, I PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS, UNDERLINE PROPOSALS, FOR WITH
DISCUSSION THE COMMUNITY AND WITH CHINA ABOUT OUR ELECTIONS IN 1994/95. THEY INCLUDED, AS YOU SAID, A SENSIBLE PROPOSAL FOR THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, WHICH HAS BEEN SUPPORTED IN OPINION POLL AFTER OPINION POLL, WHICH WOULD HAVE ENSURED THAT EVERY MEMBER OF THE POPULATION WAS ABLE TO CAST A VOTE IN A FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY,
WORKING
IS IT WOULD HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE VOTING IN FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES TO ABOUT 2.7 MILLION.
THAT
/NOW UNFORTUNATELY
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