XN000022-1994-10-06 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1994

GOVERNOR:

CHIEF SECRETARY THIS MORNING IN AN EXTREMELY ELOQUENT SPEECH SET OUT IN RATHER GREATER DETAIL OUR VIEWS ON CONTACTS WITH THE PWC. SHE SET OUT THE GUIDELINES THAT WE ARE INCORPORATING IN A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS so THAT CIVIL SERVANTS ARE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT THE SITUATION IS. AND I THINK THE POSITION THAT WE HAVE SPELT OUT IS WHOLLY REASONABLE. WHAT WE HAVE SAID IS THAT WE DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT FOR CIVIL SERVANTS TO BE MEMBERS OF THE PWC OR ITS SUB-GROUPS TO ACT AS ADVISERS? TO THE PWC OR ITS SUB-GROUPS OR TO BE SUMMONED TO FORMAL MEETINGS OF THE PWC OR ITS SUB-GROUPS, BUT WE ARE WHOLLY RELAXED ABOUT CIVIL SERVANTS BRIEFING INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE PWC. THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON ALREADY. IT WILL DOUBTLESS CONTINUE, AND I HOPE HELP THE PWC IN ANY WORK IT DOES RELATING TO TRANSITION ISSUES.

THE PWC IS AN ADVISORY BODY TO THE NPC, WHEN IT WAS SET UP SOME PEOPLE SAID IT WAS MEANT TO HELP SMOOTH THE TRANSITION; OTHER PEOPLE SAID IT WAS MEANT TO ERODE THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNMENT. I'M SURE THAT THE LATTER CAN'T HAVE BEEN IN ANYBODY'S MIND, BUT I'M SURE THAT THIS COUNCIL WOULDN'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. WE HAVE THE JLC; WE'LL HAVE IN DUE COURSE THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE; AND WE HAVE TODAY'S INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT WITH CIVIL SERVANTS REPORTING TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND RECEIVING DIRECTIONS FROM THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD WANT TO MUDDY OR COMPLICATE THAT ISSUE. SO THE CHIEF SECRETARY WILL BE MAKING THE POSITION ABSOLUTELY CLEAR IN THE QUIDELINES THAT I MENTIONED. I THINK THAT WILL BE WELL RECEIVED BY OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. AND I HOPE THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE PWC WILL FIND ANY BRIEFINGS THEY GET FROM TIME TO

TIME FROM MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE EXTREMELY USEFUL IN THEIR WORK.

MR MARTIN LEE:

MR GOVERNOR, WITH REGARD TO YOUR POLICY ADDRESS, ONE THING IS MISSING. IT IS ALSO OMITTED FROM THE OTHER DOCUMENTS. I AM REFERRING TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE AND THE LEGISLATURE. NOW, IN THE FIRST YEAR YOU SEPARATED THE TWO; WILL THE SEPARATION CONTINUE UNTIL 1997? BECAUSE IF THAT IS THE CASE IT VIOLATES THE STIPULATIONS OF THE BASIC LAW. THE BASIC LAW SAYS THAT SOME LEGCO MEMBERS SHOULD BE MEMBERS OF THE EXCO. HAVE YOU MADE A DECISION ON THIS POINT YET? IF NOT, WHEN WILL YOU MAKE A DECISION? BECAUSE IN MY OPINION, BEFORE THE 1995 ELECTIONS, YOU SHOULD INFORM THE POTENTIAL CANDIDATES WHAT YOUR DECISION WILL BE. WE CANNOT STALL ON THIS MATTER.

GOVERNOR:

I POINT OUT TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SOMETHING WHICH HE KNOWS EVEN BETTER THAN I DO, THAT IS, THAT THE BASIC LAW APPLIES AFTER THE 13T OF JULY 1997 RATHER THAN BEFORE.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I MADE ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN THE AUTUMN OF 1992 WASN'T ABOUT THE SEPARATION OF THE EXECUTIVE FROM THE LEGISLATURE; THAT EXISTS. THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT I MADE WAS THAT I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS RIGHT AT THAT STAGE OF HONG KONG'S POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT TO HAVE DUAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE LEGISLATURE. I ALSO SAID THAT OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD NEED TO REVIEW THE SITUATION IN DUE COURSE, MOST OBVIOUSLY AT THE TIME OF THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS OR SHORTLY AFTERWARDS AND THAT REMAINS MY POSITION. I'M SURE THAT OVER THE NEXT YEAR WE WILL HEAR MANY DIFFERENT VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE SUBJECT. I HAPPEN TO THINK THAT THE PRESENT SITUATION, GIVEN HONG KONG'S UNIQUE CONSTITUTION, WORKS REASONABLY WELL. I PUT FORWARD AT ONE STAGE OTHER PROPOSALS FOR TRYING TO IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND THE LEGISLATURE WHICH THE LEGISLATURE WASN'T TOO KEEN ON BUT WE ARE ALWAYS PREPARED TO CONSIDER OTHER IDEAS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE NEXT LEGCO ELECTIONS.

/MR MARTIN LEE: