XN000022-1994-01-13 — Page 12

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1994

FOR

AND

GOVERNOR: IT WAS THE HABIT OF TUDOR MONARCHS TO PUNISH OFFICIALS IN THE WAY THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS SUGGESTING. BUT I THINK GIVEN THE REMARKABLE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG OVER THE YEARS THAT OUR CIVIL SERVANTS AND OFFICIALS DESERVE PRAISE RATHER THAN DECAPITATION. I THINK THAT WE'VE NOT GOT A SENSIBLE STRATEGY FOR ROUTE THREE AND THE PRINCIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS WHICH REMAIN UNCOMPLETED WE'RE GRATEFUL TO THIS COUNCIL FOR HAVING VOTED FUNDS FOR THE TING KAU BRIDGE WHICH IS PERHAPS, WELL WHICH IS ONE OF THE INTEGRAL PARTS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT. THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, AS THE COUNCIL WILL

RECALL + HAS VOTED $3.3 BILLION FOR THE BRIDGE AND WE HOPE TO HAVE COMPLETED IT BY MID-1997.

THE COUNCIL WILL KNOW THAT WE'RE HOPING TO DEVELOP THE OTHER PROJECTS, THE TUNNEL AND THE YUEN LONG APPROACH ROAD ON THE BASIS OF A BUILD-OPERATE-TRANSFER AGREEMENT WITH PRIVATE FRANCHISEES. THE COST OF THAT PART OF THE PROJECT IS, I THINK, ABOUT $6.4 BILLION. I THINK IT'S ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF AN AREA WHERE WE CAN USE PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT FOR A PUBLIC GAIN. IT WILL TAKE SLIGHTLY LONGER TO COMPLETE THE TUNNEL AND THE APPROACH ROAD. OUR BEST ESTIMATE AT THE MOMENT IS THAT WE'LL TAKE UNTIL 1998, THOUGH MAYBE AS WITH OTHER PROJECTS IN HONG KONG, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FINISH IT AHEAD OF TIME. I THINK THAT THAT PROJECT IS, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, A KEY TO BETTER TRANSPORT IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND I'M SURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL BE WATCHING US CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET ON WITH IT AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE. I'M SURE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO CONSIDERING MATTERS LIKE THE TERMS OF THE FRANCHISE, HE WILL BE ONE OF THE HONOURABLE MEMBERS WHO WILL BE URGING HIS COLLEAGUES TO GET ON WITH THINGS AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE RATHER THAN TO HOLD THINGS UP UNNECESSARILY FOR PERHAPS LOCAL POLITICAL REASONS. SO, I HOPE THAT WE CAN GET ON WITH THAT PROJECT WITH THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS, AND WITH THE PUNISHMENT OR DECAPITATION OF NO OFFICIALS.

MR TAM YIU CHUNG (THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR GOVERNOR, YOU MENTION TRAFFIC PROBLEMS. IT SEEMS THAT THERE ARE NO FRESH IDEAS PROPOSED BUT I, MYSELF, DO HAVE A NEW SUGGESTION. I WONDER IF MR GOVERNOR CAN CONSIDER THIS. NOW, CHINA-HONG KONG TRANSPORT IS DEVELOPING AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED AND THEREFORE DEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS OF CHINA AND HONG KONG THEY DON'T HAVE A STANDING OR REGULAR CHANNEL FOR DISCUSSION, FOR CO-ORDINATION. IN EARLY DECEMBER I WAS IN BEIJING; I RAISED THIS ISSUE. THAT IS, SETTING UP A MECHANISM SO THAT THE OFFICIALS IN CHINA AND HONG KONG CAN HAVE MORE CHANCE TO COMMUNICATE. DO YOU THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR THIS? DO YOU SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL? WOULD YOU SAY THAT THERE WILL BE DIFFICULTY IF YOU TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO RAISE IT?

GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT IT IS AN EXTREMELY INTERESTING IDEA. WE HAVE TAKEN A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE BETTER CO-OPERATION BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA WHICH HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED UP SUCCESSFULLY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE INITIATIVE WHICH I PROPOSED TO DIRECTOR LU PENG IN OCTOBER 1992 TO START TRAINING COURSES FOR SOME OF OUR SENIOR OFFICIALS IN PEKING, THAT HAS BEEN FOLLOWED UP. WE HAVE HAD TWO VERY SUCCESSFUL COURSES AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT ALL OUR SENIOR CIVIL SERVANTS WILL HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF ATTENDING OR SEEING COURSES BEFORE 1997.

THOSE

/THIS PARTICULAR