XN000022-1995-02-23 — Page 15

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And thirdly, I don't intend that the Administration should allow its authority to seep away, to decline between now and 1997. This is a point that I've made before. I think it is in the interest of the SAR Government that its predecessor should have the maximum authority, should have the maximum effectiveness, right up until midnight on the 30th June, 1997. The authority of Government, whether it's before or after 1997, matters to Hong Kong and I don't intend to do anything which relinquishes the Government's control of the agenda over the next two and half years. Yes, of course we want to talk and co-operate with representatives of the future sovereign power but we're not going to put difficult problems on hold. We're not going to put any difficulties in the freezer. We're not going to say, this or that problem is too difficult for us now we'll leave it to 1997. That would be bad for Hong Kong. It would be bad for the morale of the Civil Service and we're not going to do it.

Miss Emily Lau: Mr President, just a short follow-up to a very long answer. It's all very well for the Governor to say that you don't want authority to seep away, and I'm sure your officials would share that view, but how do you actually do it? I mean power is slipping away. You are a declining Administration. Your days are numbered and your ability to make decisions is getting smaller and smaller. So how can you convince us, the community and your officials, that this is not going to happen?

Governor: Well, I hate to sound too gloomy in responding to the Honourable lady but there's a real sense in which all our days are numbered and I suppose we should be aware of that from the first moment we get up in the morning.

Let me respond to the Honourable lady's rhetorical flourish like this. A good deal of the time I find myself being criticised and my colleagues are criticised for being too aggressive in taking things forward. For being too sharp in our interpretations of the agenda that we wish to pursue. It's not easy to criticise us on the one hand for being sharp-taloned eagles and on the other hand to criticise us as lame ducks. I think that we're and will remain an effective Administration. People have been talking about declining or waning authority since about 1982 or '83 but here we are still in business and still actually I believe running Hong Kong exceptionally effectively. Look at the statistics which tell their own story.

But, the closer we get to 1997, the more we will need to prepare the community for the change of sovereignty in 1997 and I am not unaware of the implications of that. I hope that those who will be responsible for Hong Kong after 1997, Hong Kong people running Hong Kong, will themselves recognise that the authority of Government matters before the 30th June, as well as afterwards.

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