XN000022-1994-02-24 — Page 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1994

THESE

PUT

THE GOVERNOR: WE'D DO WHAT WE DID IN THE RUN-UP TO YESTERDAY'S DEBATE, ARGUE OUR CASE WITH ALL THAT GENTLE ELOQUENCE FOR WHICH MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ARE RENOWNED. WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE INSTRUMENTS WHICH ARE PERHAPS AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. WE RECOGNISE THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS TO MAKE DECISIONS AND THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS SIXTY INDEPENDENT-MINDED MEMBERS WHO AREN'T GOING TO BE PUSHED AROUND BY A GOVERNMENT AND I HOPE AREN'T GOING TO BE PUSHED AROUND BY ANYBODY ELSE IN HONG KONG OR OUTSIDE HONG KONG. SO, WE WILL ARGUE OUR CASE. BUT IF BY LOBBYING YOU MEAN MAKING COURSE THREATS, IF BY LOBBYING THE HONOURABLE MEMBER MEANS SEEKING OF METAPHORICALLY TO BREAK ARMS AND LEGS THAT IS NOT OUR WAY. BUT WE

THEM PROPOSALS FORWARD IN GOOD FAITH. WE'LL ARGUE THE CASE FOR AND HOPE THAT THEY PROVIDE AN ACCEPTABLE BASIS FOR THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN HONG KONG. I HAVE TO SAY IF I LOOK BACK TO YESTERDAY WE WERE TOLD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK THAT WE WOULD JUST SCRAPE THROUGH WITH OUR BILL YESTERDAY. WELL IT PROVED TO BE, I AM PLEASED TO I SAY RATHER BETTER THAN THAT, AND I'D LIKE TO ADD ONE POINT ABOUT IT.

WAS THINK IT WAS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DAY FOR HONG KONG, I THINK IT AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT MATURE MOMENT IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY. NOBODY CAN

TURN WIPE IT OUT NOBODY CAN PRETEND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN; NOBODY CAN THE CLOCK BACK ON WHAT HAPPENED. NOT JUST THE PARTICULAR DECISIONS ABOUT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT WERE MADE, BUT THE WHOLE PROCESS. WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THIS CHAMBER AND HAPPENING WITH CONSIDERABLE MATURITY, WITH OF COURSE A LOT OF POLITE VIGOUR, BUT HAPPENING I AM SURE IN THE CASE OF ANY, EVERY HONOURABLE MEMBER, THE HAPPENING IN A WAY IN WHICH HONOURABLE MEMBERS HOPED WOULD SECURE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AND IT IS ENTIRELY RIGHT THAT THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS IN THE WAY IT WAS YESTERDAY.

MR

ERIC LI:

MAY I

DID SAY GOVERNOR, I THINK YOU THANK YOU, PRESIDENT.

AS FAIR, THAT YOU ARE GOING TO STAND BY THE 1993 MODIFIED PROPOSALS OPEN AND ACCEPTABLE, AND THAT IT IS YOUR FIRM AIM PERHAPS TO PUSH THIS COUNCIL TO REACH A CONCLUSION BY JULY, IN FOUR MONTHS TIME.

THIS THEN ASSUME THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS TO FULLY CO-OPERATE WITH

HAVE LIMITED COUNCIL AND IN PARTICULAR, IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT WE

ON SOME OF THE WAYS TO CHOOSE FUNCTIONAL INFORMATION

CONSTITUENCIES, FOR EXAMPLE LEGAL DRAFTING. AND IT IS MY VIEW THAT I THINK YOU SHOULD HELP THIS COUNCIL, FIRST OF ALL, то

MODIFIED PROVIDE THE 1993

THAT I PROPOSALS IN FULL LEGISLATIVE TERMS, IN VIEW OF THE INTEREST

GENUINE THINK IS LIKELY TO COME. AND SECONDLY, TO ALLOW US TO HAVE A CHOICE

THE BETWEEN

TWO PROPOSALS.

WOULD IN THAT SENSE, DIRECTING YOUR THREE OFFICIAL MEMBERS TO VOTE IN FAVOUR OF THE MODIFIED PROPOSALS? AND IF THE PUBLIC OPINION OR IF THIS COUNCIL'S OPINION IS EVIDENTLY DIVIDED, THEN YOU WOULD AT LEAST DIRECT THEM ABSTAIN.

GOVERNOR: FROM THE THINK

BETWEEN THOSE

YOU

BE 1993

то

QUESTIONS

THAT

WELL,

I HAVE SAID BEFORE

ΤΟ IN RESPONSE

BEFORE I HAVE SAID

I HONOURABLE MEMBER MR ARCULLI WE GET INTO THE GREATEST DIFFICULTIES IF WE START MAKING AM I TO MAKE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL. DISTINCTIONS

WHO ARE ELECTED AND THOSE

ARE WHO APPOINTED? AM I TO MAKE DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THOSE WHO ARE BECAUSE THEY ARE OFFICIALS, MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT, AND

IN SOME OTHER WAY?

THAT IS I THINK ARE APPOINTED

WHICH TO GO DOWN AND I THINK THAT ANY PROPOSALS

TO THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO STAND

DANGEROUS ROAD GOVERNMENT

PUTS ARGUE FOR AND VOTE FOR.

APPOINTED

THOSE

WHO

AN EXTREMELY

THE

BY

AND

/I WOULD