GIB/L/F/195
FR
DIS
TO ALL OVERSEAS OFFICES
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1983.
ADDITIONAL ROUND-UP
tw. 2/12
[Dr. Withers]
Рувик
THE GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTED TO A NUMBER OF MAJOR PROJECTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF NEW TOWNS AND BIG SPENDING WILL PROBABLY BE MAINTAINED FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE DIRECTOR OF NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, MR. BRYAN O' RORKE, SAID YESTERDAY. SPEAKING AT A "MEET THE MEDIA SESSION", MR. O' RORKE SAID THAT THE DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO SPEND MORE IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, WITH ANOTHER RECORD-HIGH BUDGET OF ABOUT HK$3.5 BILLION, OR HK$300 MILLION MORE THAN THE ACTUAL AMOUNT SPENT THIS YEAR. HE SAID THAT 70 NEW TOWN PROJECTS COSTING AN ESTIMATED HK$1.6 BILLION WOULD PROCEED NEXT YEAR. THE COMING BUDGET WOULD ALLOCATE 26 PER CENT FOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES, 22 PER CENT FOR HIGHWAYS, FIVE PER CENT FOR WATER WORKS AND 47 PER CENT FOR OTHER CIVIL ENGINEERING WORKS, HE SAID. AS FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS IN NEW TOWNS, MR. O' RORKE SAID THE GOVERN- MENT HAD TRIED TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED RATIO BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC HOUSING IN NEW
TOWNS, AND HAD ACHIEVED THIS IN SOME OF THEM.
THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF HOME AFFAIRS, MR. JOHN WALDEN, SAID THAT HONG KONG
SHOULD SET UP A COMMISSION TO SEEK PUBLIC VIEWS ON THE LOCAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AND WAYS THROUGH WHICH IT COULD BE DEMOCRATISED. ADDRESSING A LIONS CLUB MEETING YESTERDAY, MR. WALDEN SAID THAT WITHOUT SUCH A CATALYST PROGRESS WOULD BE TOO SLOW. HE SAID: "IN 1968 CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG WERE RIGHT FOR TRANSFORMING A CONVENTIONAL BRITISH CROWN COLONY GOVERNMENT INTO A REPRESENTATIVE ADMINISTRATION DIRECTED TOWARDS THE INTERESTS OF THE MAJORITY OF HONG KONG PEOPLE." BUT HE SAID THIS YEAR CONDITIONS WERE AGAIN RIGHT FOR CHANGE TOWARDS A MORE CREDIBLE AND RESPONSIVE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT. ON CHINA'S SELF-RULE FORMULA FOR HONG KONG, HE SAID LOCAL PEOPLE WHO WERE SUSPICIOUS OF THIS FORMULA WERE RIGHT TO INSIST ON A MUCH CLEARER EXPLANATION FROM CHINA OF WHAT IT MEANT, BEFORE THEY COMMITTED THEMSELVES. MR. WALDEN BELIEVES THE "DEMOCRATISATION" OF HONG KONG BY MEANS OF INSTITUTIONAL REFORM CAN TAKE PLACE BETWEEN NOW AND 1997 AND HE STRESSED THAT IT DID NOT HAVE TO WAIT UPON A DEFINITIVE EXPLANATION OF CHINA'S FORMULA.
IN A FRONT PAGE STORY, THE SCM POST REPORTED THAT PEKING'S MAN IN CHARGE OF HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS, MR. JI PENG-FEJ, SAID A MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT WOULD BE FORMED HERE AFTER CHINA HAD TAKEN BACK HONG KONG'S SOVEREIGNTY AND ADMINISTRATION RIGHTS, MR, JI TOLD A VISITING DELEGATION FROM THE CHINESE REFORM ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG IN PEKING YESTERDAY THAT THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES FULLY REALISED THE ISSUE ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE INVOLVED MANY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS. "WHAT THE PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE WORRIED ABOUT, WE HAVE ALREADY THOUGHT OF," HE SAID. MR. JI TOLD THE VISITORS THAT WHEN THE "MINI-CONSTITUTION" WHICH WILL BE CODIFIED INTO THE LAWS FOR THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE ZONES, IS READY FOR PUBLICATION, IT WILL BE PASSED ON TO HONG KONG RESIDENTS FOR COMMENTS AND MODIFICATION BEFORE IT IS TABLED AT THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS. USING THIS AS A FOUNDATION, HONG KONG COULD PROCEED TO FORM A MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, HE SAID. MR. JI SAID THAT MAINTAINING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HONG KONG, CHINA
AND THE WORI.D.
I love to kno 12 how they propose 67.ts!
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