TNAG-1331-FCO40-1758-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 283

(C) WE ARRANGED TO RECEIVE AND SCRUTINISE OURSELVES ALL THE

LETTERS, SUBMISSIONS, MEDIA REPORTS AND ARTICLES

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RECEIVED AS A BASIS FOR CHECKING THE ACCURACY AND

THE IMPARTIALITY WITH WHICH THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE WAS MAKING ITS DAILY ANALYSES AND ASSESSMENTS.

(D) WE ATTENDED, AS OBSERVERS, THE REGULAR MEETINGS HELD TWICE

A WEEK BY THE COMMISSIONER AS A BASIS FOR REVIEWING PROGRESS AND CONSIDERING THE LATEST BATCHES OF ANALYTICAL ASSESSMENTS BY THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE.

WHEN THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE CAME TO PREPARE ITS REPORT, WE ARRANGED TO SEE DRAFTS AT THE APPROPRIATE STAGE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RAISING ANY QUERIES WE WISHED AND MAKING A TIMELY START WITH THE DRAFTING

OF OUR OWN REPORT.

10. WE DISCHARGED OUR WITNESSING FUNCTION BY ATTENDING A REPRESENTATIVE SELECTION OF THE MEETINGS AT WHICH THE DRAFT AGREEMENT WAS DISCUSSED - AS SET OUT IN ANNEX 11. THE CHARACTER AND COMPOSITION OF THESE MEETINGS WERE VARIED, ENABLING US TO LISTEN TO A WIDE RANGE OF VIEWS COMING FROM MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY. THIS EXPERIENCE GAVE US A DIRECT AND VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THE REACTIONS TO THE DRAFT AGREEMENT WHICH FOUND MORE FORMAL EXPRESSION IN THE MANY SUBMISSIONS WE HAVE READ FROM ORGANISATIONS AND INTEREST GROUPS.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

11. BEFORE SETTING OUT OUR CONCLUSIONS WE WISH TO MAKE TWO GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE CONDUCT OF THE ASSESSMENT TASK.

12. FIRST, THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN HONG KONG OF SUCH A MASSIVE CONSULTATION AND ASSESSMENT EXERCISE OF WHICH THE ORGANISATION AND TERMS OF REFERENCE HAD TO BE SETTLED BEFORE THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WAS KNOWN: AND SOME DIFFICULTIES WERE TO BE EXPECTED. THERE HAS BEEN SOME SHARP PUBLIC CRITICISM OF THE VALUE OF THE ASSESSMENT TAKS, TO WHICH THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE ITSELF COULD NOT REPLY: AND, IN THE LIGHT OF IT, WE BELIEVE THAT MORE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE EARLIER AT THE POLITICAL LEVEL TO EXPLAIN, AS WELL AS TO ASSERT, THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSULTING AND ASSESSING THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG ON THE DRAFT AGREEMENT IN ALL ITS ASPECTS. IT WAS CLEARLY EVIDENT THAT A PEOPLE TRADITIONALLY RESERVED IN POLITICAL MATTERS INCLUDED MANY WHO WERE ALSO DISPOSED TO DOUBT THE VALUE OF COMMENTING ON THE OVERALL ACCEPTABILITY OF A DRAFT AGREEMENT WHICH WAS NOT OPEN TO ANY AMENDMENT. NEVERTHELESS, TO THOSE WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO CALL THE CONSULTATION AND ASSESSMENT TASK ''A CHARADE'' OR **A FARCE' WE WISH TO SAY THAT THEIR VIEW WAS CERTAINLY NOT SHARED BY THE MANY HONG KONG PEOPLE, IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHOM WE WERE ABLE TO HEAR DISCUSSING, WITH CARE AND CONCERN, THE DRAFT AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE AND ALL ITS CONTENTS.

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