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"This will involve members of this Council being ready to give their broad support to the Government's programme, and the Government, for its part, taking as much account as it can of Members' views while ensuring that the wider interests of the people of Hong Kong are safeguarded.
"Co-operation of this kind would not be fostered by unilateral action on either side," Mr Patten said.
"Some members of this Council have said that they intend to introduce Private Members' Bills on important issues of public policy early in the new session. That is, of course, within their right to decide, provided that their proposals do not have the object or effect of disposing of or charging any part of the public revenue.
"But I do wonder whether the public interest would be best served by this Council and the Government operating on parallel tracks rather than moving forward on an agreed basis.
"I would like to see greater co-operation in this area between the Government and this Council. Give and take will be needed on both sides.
"The Government is very ready to play its part. I hope that members of this Council will be ready to join the Government in this process, in the interests of the people of Hong Kong," said the Governor.
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"For me, those interests must be paramount. If at any point I judge them to be in jeopardy, I may need to fall back on those constitutional powers which are in place for that purpose.
"Refusing assent to legislation would be a difficult decision for me to make. However, I would not shrink from doing so in a particular case if it were my honest view that this course of action would be in the best interests of Hong Kong," he explained.
"That said, and I want to stress this point, our collective aim must be to work not at the limits of our constitution but in the mainstream of constructive co-operation. I hope we can achieve a new level of effective dialogue to meet the expectations which the community has of both the Government and this Council," Mr Patten said.
End/Wednesday, October 11, 1995
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