XN000022-1994-02-24 — Page 13

12

-

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1994

NOT HAVE

BEEN ROSY

GOVERNOR:

WELL, IT IS PERFECTLY CORRECT THAT WE WOULD TAKEN THIS STEP, WHICH AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAYS HAS ALREADY TAKEN, IN A WAY, BY CHINESE OFFICIALS, IF WE THOUGHT THERE WAS A

AM BUT I

AN EXPERIENCED PROSPECT OF KEEPING NEGOTIATIONS GOING. ENOUGH POLITICIAN NEVER TO SAY NEVER, AND THERE MAY BE A PROSPECT DOWN THE ROAD OF REVIVING, SOME SORT OF WITHIN TIME, SOME SORT OF DIALOGUE THAT ON ELECTORAL MATTERS. THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, I'M SURE, HOPES THAT

THEY IS POSSIBLE. AT THE SAME TIME, MY READING OF THE COMMUNITY IS, WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS DEBATE OVER AND DONE WITH AND OUT OF THAT AND GET

I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE ON WITH OTHER MATTERS. RATHER A SENSIBLE POINT OF VIEW. IT'S CERTAINLY A POINT OF VIEW WHICH I SHARE MYSELF.

THE WAY IS THAT

ONCE

THE

THE COUNCIL, IS OBVIOUSLY

THE

ONCE EXTREMELY

LEGISLATION IS PASSED BY ARRANGEMENTS START TO BE PUT IN PLACE, IT DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH ANYBODY WOULD WANT TO DISRUPT THAT PROCESS. MAYBE IF ONE HASN'T HAD EXPERIENCE OF THE SORT TO MISUNDERSTAND OR OF ELECTIONS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, IT IS EASY

BUT SIMPLY NOT TO COMPREHEND THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. RUNNING AN ELECTION IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY AS COMPLICATED A ONE AS

BUSINESS WE

AND STRAIGHTFORWARD ARE GOING TO HAVE, IS NOT A VERY INVOLVES A GOOD DEAL OF LEGISLATION AND ADMINISTRATION IF IT IS TO FAIR.

{THROUGH CHUNG

INTERPRETATION):

THANK YOU,

BE

MR THE DOOR ALTHOUGH OVERTURNED

MR TAM YIU PRESIDENT, NOW,

MR GOVERNOR HAS SAID TIME AND AGAIN THAT WILL NEVER BE SHUT ON THE BRITISH SIDE BUT NOW IT SEEMS THAT THE DOOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SHUT, THE NEGOTIATING TABLE WAS

AROUND THE TABLE WERE REMOVED. UNDER THE CHAIRS AND ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, WILL PEOPLE FEEL THAT YOU ARE BEING HYPOCRITICAL YOU STILL TALK ABOUT NOT SHUTTING THE DOOR?

SUCH WHEN

ONE OR TWO

I

A

MADE ON

GOVERNOR:

I HOPE NOT, THOUGH I DARESAY THERE ARE AGENCIES IN HONG HONG WHICH MAY MAKE THAT CHARGE FROM TIME TO TIME. THINK THERE WILL BE TO FOLLOW THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S METAPHOR GOOD DEAL OF SPECULATION ABOUT WHO OVERTURNED THE TABLE AND WHO

QUESTION OFF WITH

AND THAT WILL OBVIOUSLY BE A THE FURNITURE. WHICH THERE WILL BE MORE THAN ONE VIEW IN THE COMMUNITY BUT I HOPE THE COMMUNITY WILL BE HELPED TO COME TO A SENSIBLE DECISION ON THAT MATTER BY THE PUBLICATION OF THE FACTS. I BELIEVE, MYSELF, IN SEEKING FROM FACTS AND SO WE ARE PUBLISHING THE FACTS.

TRUTH

MR JIMMY MCGREGOR:

GOVERNOR, IT IS MY IMPRESSION PROPOSALS YET TO COME BEFORE US IN THE FORM OF LEGISLATION, TWO CRITICAL PROPOSALS IN YOUR PACKAGE OF SEVEN OR

-

THE ΤΟ

THAT THE TWO ARE THE EIGHT PROPOSALS OF THESE WHICH

IT IS ALSO MY IMPRESSION THAT ONE YOU STARTED WITH.

THIS PROPOSALS MAY UNDERGO VERY CONSIDERABLE CHANGE IN DISCUSSION IN

AND REMEMBERING THAT IF COUNCIL.

THAT PROVES TO BE THE CASE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY COMPROMISED BOTH OF THESE PROPOSALS SOME EXTENT BY ENTERING INTO NEGOTIATIONS AND MODIFYING THE PROPOSALS OUT -WILL TO BECOME SOMEWHAT LESS DEMOCRATIC, AS FAR AS WE CAN MAKE YOU BE ABLE TO ACCEPT, IN GOOD FAITH, THE MODIFICATION OF AT LEAST ONE MODIFICATION OF THE OF THESE TWO MAJOR PROPOSALS AND THE POSSIBLE OTHER TO SOME EXTENT, AND ACCEPT THAT IN GOOD FAITH THIS COUNCIL WILL REACH THAT CONCLUSION AND THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BRING LEGISLATION WISDOM, IN TO GIVE EFFECT TO THESE CHANGES WHICH THIS COUNCIL, IN ITS REQUESTS?

/GOVERNOR: