XN000022-1996-11-21 — Page 17

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I hope that some of those who advise Chinese officials and some of those who seek to do so on a more permanent basis, apparently, will advise Chinese officials on how to encourage moderation and restraint in Hong Kong.

I think some members of this Council are taking curious decisions about how best to convey that advice but I dare say that is a matter which they will be able to live with and their consciences, presumably, will be able to live with.

Mr Tsang Kin-shing (in Chinese): Thank you, Mr President. First of all I would like to praise the Governor, the CS and the Secretary for Security for what they did in the fire rescue operation and also they were there on the scene in order to boost the morale of the rescue personnel and this is something very commendable. In a civilised humane society, officials of the Administration would do just that.

Now I would like to turn to the topic of political development. Mr Governor, in the past few years you have promoted democracy in our election. However, in a forum which is called District Administration 15 year Anniversary, the Director of Home Affairs Department, Madame Lau, said publicly that appointed members actually are very good because they are willing to put in effort, they are willing to put in money. Now we are moving closer and closer to 1997, I would like to know whether the administration is making a change in its direction? It's moving closer towards Beijing and it's trying to bring back the appointment system and turn the clock back?

Governor: No, that's certainly not the administration's policy. When we first proposed to have wholly elected district boards and municipal councils, or pretty well wholly elected, I remember being told that this would produce disasters in the districts and in the City and the New Territories. One of those many disasters which are much advertised as bed-mates of democracy but haven't appeared to show up. I go round the district boards with great regularity and they seem to me to be in extremely good spirits and doing an extremely good job.

As it happens, I was fortunate enough to be able to entertain at lunch yesterday, all the Chairmen of the district boards and we discussed some of their problems with Shelley Lau, who has done a marvellous job in increasing the enthusiasm with which the District Boards work together and promote grass roots representative Government. If the Honourable Member were to look a little to his left, he would see somebody else who was able to share my hospitality yesterday.

And let me add one thing to the Honourable gentleman. I saw Shelley Lau in the middle of last night at the hospital and I saw her this morning having clearly been up all night, and I saw her at the Sha Tin disaster, the fire on the hill, and I've seen her again and again helping the families of the children who were burnt on that occasion and I won't hear a word against Shelley Lau.