XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 27

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

1,

IF YOU IS THAT

THERE WAS A LADY IN THE MIDDLE, YOUNG WOMAN. WANT ΤΟ GO TO NO. 2, AND THE YOUNG WOMAN CAN GO TO NO. ALRIGHT? WELL. WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHATEVER IS NEARER. IF THE YOUNG LADY COULD GO FIRST, YES, SHE IS RUNNING, STARTING PHYSICAL EDUCATION,

QUESTION: MENTIONED

YOU IN YOUR POLICY ADDRESS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR CIVIL SERVANTS TO HAVE CONTACT WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE PRELIMINARY WORKING COMMITTEE AND YOU DESCRIBED IT AS USEFUL. SO I JUST WONDER HOW IS IT USEFUL AND IT IS USEFUL IN WHAT WAYS? IF YOU DO MEAN THE PWC CAN BE TREATED EFFECTIVELY FUNCTIONING AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE CHINESE

AND GOVERNMENT

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT THEN I DOUBT BECAUSE THE APPOINTED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE PWC, AS WE ALL KNOW, THEY ARE ALL CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND HOW EFFECTIVELY THEY CAN REVEAL THE VIEWS OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE QUESTION.

GOVERNOR:

WELL I THINK THAT THE PEOPLE WHO REPRESENT AND SPEAK FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ARE REASONABLE AND FLEXIBLE AND WE ARE TRYING TO BE AS HELPFUL AND AS OPEN MINDED AS POSSIBLE. LET ME SAY A WORD OR TWO ABOUT THE PRELIMINARY WORKING COMMITTEE, ABOUT WHICH YOU WILL ALL HAVE YOUR INDIVIDUAL VIEWS. WHEN THE PRELIMINARY WORKING COMMITTEE WAS SET UP, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO

SAID, "WELL IT'S THERE TO HELP DEAL WITH PROBLEMS OF THE TRANSITION. THERE WERE OTHERS WHO SAID, "IT'S THERE TO CREATE A SECOND STOVE. AND WHAT THEY MEANT, I THINK, BY A SECOND STOVE, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH CUISINE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH TRYING TO UNDERMINE THE AUTHORITY OF THE KONG GOVERNMENT. NOW I'M SURE THAT THAT WASN'T THE INTENTION AND I'M SURE THAT IT HASN'T HAPPENED.

"

AND HONG

THE PWC IS AN ADVISORY BODY TO THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS. IT DOESN'T FEATURE IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, IT DOESN'T FEATURE IN THE BASIC LAW. THERE ARE INSTITUTIONS WHICH ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE TRANSITION WHICH DO COME OUT OF THOSE DOCUMENTS. THERE IS THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, WHICH I'VE MENTIONED, AGREED BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA AS THE FORUM FOR DEBATING ISSUES RELATING TO HONG KONG AND THERE IS THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WHICH WILL BE SET UP IN 1996 TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE TRANSITION. WE HAVE SUGGESTED WAYS IN WHICH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP COULD BE IMPROVED AND WE'VE SAID THAT WE WANT ΤΟ WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE AND WE'RE PREPARED ΤΟ START DISCUSSING NOW HOW WE CAN WORK CLOSELY WITH THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE.

BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT FOR US TO TREAT THE PWC AS A FORMAL PART OF OUR INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, LIKE THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OR THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE FAIR ON CIVIL SERVANTS. ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO BE SUMMONED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, SUMMONED TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND SUMMONED TO PEKING TO THE PWC? THAT WOULDN'T BE REASONABLE. NEVERTHELESS, ANSON CHAN AND I HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PREPARED FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TO BRIEF INDIVIDUAL PWC MEMBERS. WE BRIEF ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE ARR PERFECTLY PREPARED TO BRIEF INDIVIDUAL PWC MEMBERS IN THE HOPE THAT THAT WILL MAKE THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO DISCUSSION ON THE CHINESE SIDE ABOUT HONG KONG ISSUES BETTER INFORMED AND MORE IN HONG KONG'S INTEREST.

MADE THAT CLEAR AGAIN TODAY.

WE'VE

/BUT WHAT