XN000022-1994-04-14 — Page 5

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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1994

IT IS DEEPLY INSULTING TO HONG KONG, WHICH AS WE ALL KNOW IS IN AS MANY WAYS AS ADVANCED AS ANY COMMUNITY IN THE WORLD, TO PORTRAY IT A CHILD. AND IT IS ABSURD TO ARGUE THAT, IF WE FIND

ΤΟ WE HAVE DISAGREE WITH OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES ABOUT SOME ISSUE OF IMPORTANCE TO Ig HONG KONG, WE ARE SOMEHOW DISREGARDING HONG KONG'S INTERESTS. IT

FOR WE BELIEVE HONG KONG'S INTERESTS TO BE WORTH STANDING UP BECAUSE THAT WE DO SOMETIMES HAVE TO DIFFER OVER HOW BEST TO INTERPRET AND IMPLEMENT THE COMMITMENTS MADE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. BUT NO-ONE

REMAIN THE AIM OF THE EXERCISE: THAT HONG KONG SHOULD

THE QUESTIONS MOST DYNAMIC CITY IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION, WITH ITS WAY OF LIFE,

BY ITS FREEDOMS, ITS LEGAL SYSTEM, ITS SOCIAL ORGANISATION UNTOUCHED THE CHANGE OF FLAG. THAT IS SO PATENTLY IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF CONCERNED. NOR IS THERE ANY DISAGREEMENT THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION PROVIDES THE BEST WAY OF ACHIEVING THIS.

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THE SECOND MISCONCEPTION HAS IT THAT BECAUSE RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN DISAGREEMENT ON ONE IMPORTANT ISSUE, SOMEHOW THE JOINT DECLARATION HAS GONE OFF THE RAILS. IT IS ASSUMED BY THE PURVEYORS OF THIS VIEW THAT OUR FAILURE TO AGREE ON THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE LAST SERIES OF ELECTIONS UNDER BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY SOMEHOW IMPLIES THE FAILURE OF THE JOINT DECLARATION ITSELF AND THE EROSION OF THE COMMITMENTS ENSHRINED IN IT. THE JOINT DECLARATION SAYS ONLY THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WILL BE CONSTITUTED BY ELECTIONS, NOT HOW THOSE ELECTIONS WILL BE ORGANISED (THOUGH IT WOULD BE SURPRISING IF THE SIGNATORIES HAD IN MIND ELECTIONS WHICH WERE NOT FAIR AND WERK NOT OPEN). IT DOES NOT ADDRESS NOR WOULD IT HAVE BEEN EASY TO ADDRESS, BACK IN 1984

THE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THOSE ELECTIONS. MOREOVER, THE JOINT DECLARATION CERTAINLY DOES NOT SAY THAT WHEN THE CONTRACTING PARTIES DISAGREE ON ANY SINGLE ISSUE, THEY MUST SUDDENLY DISAGREE ON EVERYTHING ELSE.

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PEACEFUL

THINK WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY, BETWEEN TWO POWERS WITH VASTLY DIFFERENT CULTURES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE GLOBE, IS UNUSUAL ENOUGH. TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE TERRITORY IN QUESTION IS NO LONGER PALMERSTON'S LARGELY BARREN ISLAND, BUT THE THROBBING METROPOLIS AROUND US TODAY WITH A PER CAPITA GDP EXCEEDING THAT OF BRITAIN, AND A TOTAL GDP JUST OVER A FIFTH OF CHINA'S: AN ECONOMIC GIANT IN ITS OWN RIGHT. REMEMBER THAT THE SYSTEM WE HAVE ALL AGREED TO PRESERVE IS IN MANY RESPECTS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE INCOMING SOVEREIGN POWER (AND IN OTHER WAYS, BE IT NOTED, DIFFERENT FROM THAT

OF THE DEPARTING SOVEREIGN POWER). IS IT REALLY ANY WONDER THAT THERE ARE SOMETIMES DISAGREEMENTS? THAT SOMETIMES, EVEN, A LITTLE CROCKERY GETS THROWN? OF COURSE NOT.

BUT IT SIMPLY DOES NOT FOLLOW THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION ITSELF IS FLAWED OR WEAKENED. DISAGREEMENTS AND THE COMPETITION OF IDEAS ARE AN INEVITABLE PART OF ADMINISTERING A COMPLEX SOCIETY, LET ALONE STEERING IT TOWARDS A CHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTY. WHEN WE HAVE A HEATED DEBATE HERE IN HONG KONG ABOUT SOME ISSUE INTERNAL TO HONG KONG, WE DO NOT THROW UP OUR HANDS AND SAY "THIS IS THE ROAD TO CONFRONTATION EVERYTHING", IT IS THROUGH DEBATE, SOMETIMES VIGOROUS DEBATE, AS JOHN STUART MILL KNEW, THAT WE ARRIVE AT THE RIGHT ANSWERS.

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