XN000022-1995-07-02 — Page 2

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The Governor's "Letter to Hong Kong"

Following is the full text of Governor the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's broadcast on RTHK's "Letter to Hong Kong" today (Sunday):

Two years exactly from this weekend, the fireworks will be lighting up Hong Kong's skies and the flags will be changing over Hong Kong's roof-tops. Two years to the change-over. And just how big a change will it be?

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Well, not so great - I hope and believe as to cause Hong Kong to stumble. It's a change which Hong Kong should be able to take in its stride. Look at how much bustling change and downright turbulence Hong Kong has survived in the past 50 years. And look where we stand today.

But clearly in these two years, it's important for me, important for my Administration, to do all we can to give Hong Kong the momentum to see it safely through the transition. That means doing everything possible to secure the values and rights and duties enshrined in the Joint Declaration. And it means helping to lay solid foundations for the government of the Special Administrative Region so that it can get off to the best possible start.

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So the first thing you should know about our plans for the next two years is that We don't we are going to go on governing taking decisions, getting things done. intend to put off the tough challenges, the unpopular choices, just because 1997 is coming up fast. That would be fatal for the authority of government. Not particularly the authority of this government, but of government itself. It would corrode the morale of our excellent civil service. It would leave our successors with a bucketful of problems. And which problems ever got easier by putting off doing anything about them?

Second, wherever we can we'll try to cope with these problems in co-operation with those who seek to speak for the interests of our successors in government. I promised that last September and I intend to keep that promise. That is what you expect.

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We'll try to work with the Preparatory Committee and then, necessarily even more closely, with the Chief Executive-designate and his or her team. We've shown our intentions, sensible intentions, with the co-operation we've already launched over the Budget and with the agreement on the Court of Final Appeal.