XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 16

14

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

MR

EDWARD HO:

MR GOVERNOR, I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU HAVE NOT MENTIONED, OR HARDLY MENTIONED INFRASTRUCTURE IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS YESTERDAY. NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF MY SPECIAL INTEREST. BUT I THINK IT IS IN THE INTEREST OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE WHAT TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE, I WANT TO ASK YOU SIR, HOW MUCH OF THAT

I WOULD CALL OMISSION IS DUE TO THE PROBLEM OF LACK OF CO-OPERATION BETWEEN YOU AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, SO THAT YOU ARE UNABLE TO MAKE DECISION TO PROCEED WITH MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT THAT SPANS, THAT STRADDLES 1997, SUCH AS THE NORTHWEST RAILWAY.

GOVERNOR:

THE

DOES HUNT

AND NOT A

I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE MAIN REASON WHY I DIDN'T SAY AS MUCH AS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WOULD HAVE LIKED ON INFRASTRUCTURE IS THAT THR OUR THAT I MENTIONED PARLIMP. IN FUTURE YEARS ME POU), IP THE HONOURABLE MEMBER AND OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS WOULD LIKE HAVE ME

OUT READ

THE WHOLE OF THE POLICY COMMITMENTS

THAT DOCUMENT,

WOULD RESULT IN A CASTRO LENGTH SPEECH, BUT WE COULD ACTUALLY DO THAT. I OF IT MAKES MORE SENSE TO HAVE A PUBLISHED DOCUMENT, EACH PART THINK WHICH IS EXPLAINED TO THE COMMUNITY BY INDIVIDUAL POLICY SECRETARIES, THUS MAKING IT CLEAR THAT NOT ONLY IS THIS NOT A ONE-ISSUE GOVERNMENT IT IS ALSO NOT A ONE-PERSON GOVERNMENT, BUT HAS

WIDE RANGE OF SECRETARIES ALL IMPLEMENTING DETAILED POLICIES ON BEHALF OF COMMUNITY. I THINK MAKING THAT SEPARATION IS GOOD SENSE, BUT IT MEAN THAT HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL HAVE TO PERHAPS, RESTRAIN THE FOR THE SNAGS UNTIL THEY'VE ACTUALLY READ ALL OUR DOCUMENTS, JUST

TO LISTENED TO MY SPEECH. ON INFRASTRUCTURE WE ARE COMMITTED

PROGRAMME OF A HUNDRED AND FORTY BILLION HONG CAPITAL

KONG DOLLARS,

THE REST ABOUT A HUNDRED AND FIVE BILLION OF THAT IS OUTSIDE THE ACP, IS ON THE ACP, THAT INCLUDES FOR EXAMPLE OUR THIRTY BILLION PROGRAMME ROAD BUILDING. THAT I'M SURE WON'T FALL VICTIM TO ANY FAILURE OF CO-OPERATION BETWEEN OURSELVES AND PRC OFFICIALS, THOUGH SUCH CO- OPERATION WE SHALL CONTINUE DILIGENTLY TO HUNT FOR. THERE ARE MATTERS SUCH AS THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY WHICH WILL NATURALLY HAVE

AND BE DISCUSSED

AGREED WITH THE PRC, BECAUSE VIRTUALLY ALL WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER 1997. THAT'S WHY TO GO BACK TO EXPENDITURE QUESTION I ANSWERED EARLIER I AM VERY KEEN THAT WE SHOULD HAVE LEVEL CONTACTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS SO AS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE BUILD RAILWAYS IN HONG KONG THEY ARE ACTUALLY GOING SOMEWHERE

UP

TO WITH RAILWAYS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BORDER, JOIN POINT AT ITS SIMPLEST AND CRUDEST. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS RIGHT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF INFRASTRUCTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE IS PART OF THE INHERITANCE WHICH I HOPE WILL BE HANDED OVER IN GOOD ORDER ON THE 30TH JUNE 1997.

ΤΟ THE

THE

HIGH-

WHEN

AND

PUT

THE TO

MR EDWARD HO:

MR GOVERNOR, FOR YOU INFORMATION I HAVE READ THE THERE POLICY COMMITMENTS AFTER HEARING YOUR SPEECH, AND IN THERE ALSO IS VERY LITTLE REFERENCE TO NEW INITIATIVES, I MEAN THOSE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING. MY SPECIFIC QUESTION IS ON AS YOU ALREADY ANSWERED IN PART ON PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE TO INITIATE, AND

THAT PROJECTS STRADDLE 1997,

WHEN I MENTIONED THE NORTHWEST RAILWAY, I MENTIONED THAT

IT BECAUSE

HAS BEEN WIDELY RUMOURED THAT EXCO

MAKE WOULD DECISION ON THAT LAST APRIL, AND I THOUGHT THAT AN IMPORTANT LIKE THAT, A PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN WIDELY SUPPORTED AND URGED IN COUNCIL, THAT EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WOULD MAKE THE DECISION PRIOR TO POLICY

AND THAT YOU CAN GIVE US SOME ADDRESS, SO

GOOD NEWS. PARTICULAR QUESTION I PUT TO YOU WAS THAT THE REASON YOU HAVE NOT MADE WITH THE UP YOUR MIND ON THAT WAS IT BECAUSE OF PROBLEM OF AGREEING CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

A

PROJECT THIS YOUR

THE

/GOVERNOR: