XN000022-1997-03-05 — Page 5

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Question: Governor. I was given an opinion-poll that was published today - I don't know if this counts as a serious question but I'll put it which suggested that at least half the people in Hong Kong feel that the Governor's position is becoming increasingly irrelevant as time goes along. How do you respond? You are very dismissive about the provisional legislature but they and not you will be powerful in a bundred days.

Governor: It is perfectly true that there is a limit to what the Government is able to do in the next four months but there is rather a lot we have done in the last four and

years eight months. And I very much hope that Mr Tung's administration will be able to do as much to strengthen the economy and work for the livelihood of the people of Hong Kong in the next five years as the Government has been able to do in the last five.

Question: There is a suggestion also, from the poll, that people feel that perhaps (inaudible) to the provisional legislature, it might be more helpful if you muted that and ceased to criticise it and regarded it as more of a team-player towards the handover. Is there any chance of that?

Governor: Look, the team-players are supposed to be China and Mainland officials who are supposed to co-operate with the Hong Kong Government and the British Government in the good management of Hong Kong until 30 June. We should remember what Article 30 of the Joint Declaration says. We should also remember that the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law talk about a legislature constituted by elections. There is no reference in the Basic Law to a provisional legislature.

And there is one thing people in Hong Kong know about me. Whether they agree with me or not, they know that when I say what I intend to do I stick to it. I have made the Government's position on the Legislative Council, on this business in Shenzhen, I have made the Government's position on those things absolutely crystal clear. And I don't intend changing my mind, the British Government doesn't intend changing its mind, the Hong Kong Government doesn't intend changing its mind. People should recognise that the existence of this body is not making friends for Hong Kong around the world.

Question: About the JLG plenary session, do you expect major progress will be made in the next JLG plenary session?

Governor: I hope we will make some progress. I would very much like to see us making progress, for example, on an issue like Air Service Agreements where there is still plenty of detailed and important work to do and where we haven't made sufficiently rapid progress. I would also like to see an agreement on right of abode because I think that is an issue which concerns the community and concerns many from the community who are now living abroad who would like to come back to Hong Kong. So I hope we make progress on those issues.