XN000022-1994-11-03 — Page 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994

MR HA WING-HO:

THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT, MR GOVERNOR, I HAVE A QUESTION, IT IS ABOUT LEGISLATION STRADDLING 1997. AS WE

KNOW, A LEGISLATURE WILL BE ELECTED IN 1995 AND BY 1997 ITS TERM WILL END. NOW IN LONDON YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS, I WONDER IF YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE LEGISLATION SITUATION FOR THE TRANSITION. SO DID YOU DISCUSS THE BRITISH ATTITUDE BACK IN LONDON, AND IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS DID YOU TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE PROVISIONAL LEGISLATURE?

GOVERNOR:

WE DIDN'T HAVE A SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION ABOUT PROPOSALS WHICH MAY HAVE BEEN MADE BY AN ADVISORY GROUP TO THE NPC ABOUT THE FUTURE, THE FUTURE LEGISLATURE IN HONG KONG, WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE WE BELIVE THAT THE LEGISLATURE WHICH WILL BE ELECTED IN 1995, WHICH WILL BE OPENLY ELECTED, AND WHICH WE BELIEVE WILL BE FAIRLY ELECTED AND WHICH WE BELIEVE IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THAT LEGISLATURE IS IN OUR JUDGMENT ENTIRELY IN LINE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND WITH THE BASIC LAW. AND IF THERE ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT THE LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE DISRUPTED IN SOME WAY IN 1997, THEN IT'S FOR THEM TO EXPLAIN WHY, AND IT'S FOR THEM TO JUSTIFY THAT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, IT'S NOT OBVIOUSLY MY RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WHAT IS DONE BEFORE 1997 IS IN LINE WITH THE AGREEMENTS MADE BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, THAT IT ACCORDS WITH THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THAT IT MEETS IN DOING THOSE THINGS THE LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG FOR A DECENT AND OPEN SOCIETY, AND THAT I THINK WE ARE DOING.

THERE ARE QUESTIONS WHICH ARE RAISED FROM TIME

TO TIME ABOUT LEGISLATION WHICH WE WANT TO PASS THROUGH THE TRANSITION IN 1997, AND THERE ARE TWO PARTICULAR ASPECTS TO THAT QUESTION WHICH NEED то BE CONSIDERED, ONE IS LOCALISATION OF LAWS, THE OTHER IS ADAPTATION OF LAWS. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT WHICH ISN'T ALWAYS DONE TO MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE TWO. ON LOCALISATION OF LAWS, WE ARE MAKING PRETTY GOOD PROGRESS ABOUT THREE HUNDRED OF THE LAWS WHICH

DU

NEED TO BE LOCALISED, IN FACT WE CAN PROBABLY PUT ON ONE SIDE, WE PROBABLY DON'T NEED TO DEAL WITH THOSE, IT LEAVES A NUMBER THAT HAVE TO BE LOCALISED. WE'RE INTENDING DOING THAT IN ABOUT THIRTY-TWO DIFFERENT PIECES OF LEGISLATION, AND SOME OF THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, I THINK ABOUT EIGHT, TWO ARE AT PRESENT BEFORE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BEING DISCUSSED, I THINK THREE WILL SHORTLY BE BEFORE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAVING BEEN BROADLY AGREED IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. THERE ARE OTHERS IN FRONT OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP AT THE MOMENT, ABOUT FOURTEEN, AND ONE OR TWO OTHERS WHICH WILL NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IN DUE COURSE. THAT PROGRAMME OF LOCALISATION IS GOING FORWARD PRETTY WELL. ADAPTATION HAS CREATED OTHER DIFFICULTIES, AND THEY ARE DIFFICULTIES I HOPE WE CAN RESOLVE WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS. IT WAS AGREED IN 1990 IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP THAT ADAPTATION SHOULD BE DISCUSSED THERE, AND I HOPE CAN MAKE A SUCCESS OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS. SO I HOPE, AS I HONOURABLE MEMBER HOPES THAT WE CAN AVOID ANY LEGAL HOLES BECAUSE THAT WOULDN'T BE GOOD FOR THE STABILITY OR PROSPERITY OF KONG.

THAT WE KNOW

THE

1997

COME

HONG

/MR JIMMY