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On one other question, covered by our legislation on bribery, the Court of Appeal has ruled that the law is in line with the Bill of Rights, Subject to any appeal to the Privy Council, we intend to keep that power in order to assist us in the fight against corruption.
There are 31 provisions, on the other hand, which we've now amended or repealed. For example, we've swept away outdated and excessive regulations to deal with emergencies while leaving ourselves the power to take action in line with the Bill of Rights in the unlikely eventuality of it proving necessary. We've scrapped powers to pre-censor TV and radio broadcasts, relaxed unnecessary restraints on public meetings and processions, and given the press more freedom to report and comment on court proceedings. In other words, we have responded to the reasonable needs and aspirations of a free and mature society.
Altogether, we reckon that we've now dealt with about 80 per cent of the laws covered by the whole exercise. That still leaves some clearing up elsewhere, for instance on prison rules and telecommunications, though on the latter we have to wait for the report of the Law Reform Commission. Most sensitive, there are provisions on sedition and treason and on Official Secrets which we've got to talk to Chinese officials about because we'd like these laws to straddle 1997. We've put proposals to China which, again, are consistent with the Bill of Rights. These are admittedly pretty sensitive issues, though I hope more in theory than practice. I don't think, for example, that we've ever used at least not in recent memory the Official Secrets legislation against anyone. But it does need to be localised (at present it's United Kingdom legislation) and made to comply with Hong Kong's other laws on citizens' rights.
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So the true story is that we've travelled most of the road on press freedom, with just a few tricky twists and turns ahead to navigate. We're now in a position where we've got as open and benign a framework of laws for the press as in most free societies. I am sure our journalists and broadcasters will use the freedom they've got responsibly - by which I don't mean that they should censor what they themselves would like in honesty to say. That's not what any of us mean by responsibility in a place like Hong Kong. But we do expect our media to strive for accuracy as hard as they search for the truth, and we hope that they will respect the dignity and privacy of Hong Kong's men and women, who are after all their own readers and viewers.
But for the next few weeks, I won't be reading any newspapers or watching any television. Like a lot of you, I'll have turned off from the headlines for a bit. Headlines which will often be made by those who are campaigning throughout August. It will be hard work. And I wish the very best of luck to them all.
End/Sunday, July 30, 1995
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