XN000022-1997-02-20 — Page 9

- 7 -

When the leaders of our legal profession write to the Chief Executive and say that proposals on the Bill of Rights and related matters would undermine the rule of law, you can't be very surprised if legislators visiting Hong Kong from other free and plural societies express their worries as well. So far from believing that those anxieties are misplaced, my view is that those anxieties can best be addressed in Hong Kong and outside Hong Kong by changing policies, not by putting gags on people.

Question: Will you go to his funeral service?

Governor: As I understand it, the committee which is organising Mr Deng's funeral has made it clear already that it is not going to invite foreign dignitaries. I am certainly foreign. Whether I am a dignitary or not I leave to you to decide.

Question: Will you send flowers?

Governor: I don't think that would be appropriate but I have written to Director Zhou Nan, the head of the New China News Agency, expressing my condolences. And of course if there is a condolence book opened, I will want to sign that with the senior members of my Administration.

Question: (inaudible)

Governor: Yes, I had an excellent question from the young journalist in red, to my left, and I am not sure that I could do better than the reply I gave her.

End

Transcript of the Governor's question and answer session

The following is the transcript of the question and answer session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten after his luncheon speech to the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong this (Thursday) afternoon:

Question (David Barton Lee - Asian Commercial Research): Sir, you have described the facts of Hong Kong's triumphant development over the last few years. You have not referred to what perhaps to many here is your failure in implementing a wider base for democratic institutions in Hong Kong which at the moment we see are being steadily dismantled by our new Chinese overlords. Does it surprise you that this is happening considering what Her Majesty's Government declared in 1984 about the Agreement being unalterable and the various clauses about 'no change' in economic and social circumstances in Hong Kong. In short, is Hong Kong in fact better-off or worse-off for your valiant attempts to widen the electoral basis?