XN000022-1995-09-30+10-01 — Page 7

Governor's "Letter to Hong Kong"

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

Do you have the feeling that anything revolutionary has happened in the last few weeks? That Hong Kong has been convulsed by change? That the ground has shifted, as in some great geological disaster, beneath our feet?

You don't feel any of that? Things still seem pretty normal to you? Well, they do to me as well. September has been a momentous month, but not exactly earth- shattering.

That must come as quite a shock to some people. They predicted that the much promised, steady, not-too-fast, not-too-slow democratisation of Hong Kong would at best see us falling flat on our face, and at worst that it would bring havoc and turmoil.

either.

They said that about our District Board elections. But no havoc.

They said it again about our Municipal Council elections. No turmoil then,

And two Sundays ago, we carried through the first elections for a wholly elected Legislative Council. And once again Hong Kong people took it in their stride. A free people exercising their freedom responsibly and maturely.

Three things struck me about the elections.

First, sometimes it's said that no one in Hong Kong is really all that interested in politics. Well, frankly, no one anywhere is all that interested in politics. People in Hong Kong are about as interested in politics as people anywhere else. Which is to say that if you ask them whether they want to be consulted a bit more or a bit less about their destiny, about the way the community is run on their behalf, they opt for a bit

more say.

The international magazine. "The Economist", had a fascinating little chart in their edition last week showing how Hong Kong people have gradually, but enthusiastically, come to exercise their civic rights. It noted that in 1981 just over 6,000 - yes, that was 6,000 votes were cast, whereas over the last year about 3 million votes have been dropped into the territory's ballot boxes.

-