XN000022-1994-03-29 — Page 4

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לד

TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 1994

GOVERNOR:

RESPONSES TO

AND WOMEN.

IT IS VERY

SEEN THE

FOR

DIFFICULT NOT TO BE HAVING OUR DISCUSSION DOCUMENT ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

MEN THAT DOCUMENT RECEIVED 1,100 RESPONSES AND 90% OF THEM SAID THAT WE SHOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF INHERITANCE RIGHTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT AS THE BILL WHICH WE INTRODUCED

WHICH WE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE SEEN THROUGH BY NOW WHICH AND

WAS DEALING WITH THE UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES OF INHERITANCE RIGHTS ON PROPERTY IN THE URBAN AREAS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE DISCUSSIONS IN COMMITTEE WILL RESOLVE THE DIFFERENCES THAT HAVE EMERGED AND I HOPE THAT RESIDENTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHO PERHAPS HAVE BEEN UNDERSTANDABLY CONCERNED, WILL BE FULLY INFORMED ABOUT WHAT IS IN THE BILL AND IN THE AMENDMENT RATHER THAN WHAT SOME PEOPLE ARE TELLING THEM IS IN THE BILL AND IN THE AMENDMENT. THEY ARE IF NOT HAVING ANY RIGHT TAKEN AWAY, THEY ARE STILL ABLE TO MAKE WILLS THEY WISH TO DO SO BUT WHAT IS BEING PROVIDED FOR IS FREEDOM CHOICE.

OF

BUT OBVIOUSLY, IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE WILL ALL BE HOPING THAT THE MATTER CAN BE RESOLVED AMICABLY AND WITHOUT THE SORT OF AGGRAVATED FEELINGS AND TENSIONS THAT HAVE EXISTED PREVIOUSLY. BUT I REPEAT WHAT I SAID EARLIER, THAT IF YOU TAKE A DISCUSSION EXERCISE SERIOUSLY, AS WE MUST DO, THEN THE FEELINGS OF THE COMMUNITY IN RESPONSE TO OUR GREEN PAPER WERE PRETTY OVERWHELMING.

QUESTION:

MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES FEEL THAT THIS IS THE THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY HAS IN MIND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS, INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE, THE SMALL HOUSE POLICY, AND THAT THIS IS A WAY OF GETTING AT THOSE AND TAKING THEM AWAY. CAN YOU ASSURE THE PEOPLE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THAT THIS IS NOT

FROM

·

P

?

YES,

GOVERNOR:

I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THAT REASSURANCE UNEQUIVOCALLY. THERE HAVE BEEN WORRIES EXPRESSED ABOUT SMALL HOUSES, THERE HAVE BEEN WORRIES EXPRESSED ABOUT VILLAGE BURIAL GROUNDS AND SIMILAR WORRIES, AND I HOPE THAT THEY CAN BE PUT ON ONE SIDE. THERE OF ARE ISSUES WHICH ARE CONTENTIOUS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE QUESTION INHERITANCE IS ONE OF THEM. ANOTHER ISSUE WHICH HAS BEEN CONTENTIOUS

TIME ΤΟ TIME IS THE APPLICATION

THE OF PLANNING IN

NEW TERRITORIES. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE COMMITTED TO TRYING TO WORK IN THE

THE VILLAGERS NEW TERRITORIES WITH THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND WITH

BUT I AND WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, TO CLEAN UP THE NEW TERRITORIES DON'T THINK THAT IS SOMETHING WHICH SHOULD RAISE WORRIES OR CONCERNS.

BUT I

INVOLVED. THINK IT IS AN ENDEAVOUR IN WHICH WE SHOULD ALL BE YOU'RE QUITE RIGHT TO SAY THAT I THINK THERE IS A SUB-TEXT IN THIS

AND ISSUE

THE MORE WE CAN DENY SOME OF THE CHARGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, THE BETTER I THINK FOR THE DEBATE ON THE REALLY SERIOUS ISSUES.

QUESTION:

MAKE YOU SAY THAT WHEN YOU COME BACK YOU ARE GOING TO NUMBER ONE DOMESTIC ISSUE THE PRICES OF PROPERTY. THE

I THINK I AM YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT GETTING YOUR PLAN SURPRISED THAT

FOR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE THROUGH LEGCO. NOW, YOU SAID A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO THAT YOU WERE GOING TO, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO VERY VIGOROUSLY PRESS FOR THAT AND I AM SURE YOU ARE DOING THAT WITH LEGCO BUT WHY DON'T WE SEE THE KIND OF PERSONAL CAMPAIGN FROM YOU SAW AFTER YOUR SPEECH IN 1991 AND AFTER THE SECOND LEGCO

MEMBERS. THAT

WE

/GOVERNOR: