TNAG-1724-FCO40-2437-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 61

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Revised

Speech by the Honourable the Chief Secretary

Sir David Ford, KBE, LVO,

in the Legislative Council on 10 February_1988

CHIEF SECRETARY:

Sir,

"The

Xaid on the table today is the White Paper, Development of Representative Government: the Way Forward".

Publication of this White Paper marks the end of

the 1987 Review of Developments in Representative

Government. Some nine months have passed since the Green

Paper was tabled in this Council. They have been months

of intense debate in the community, in the media and in

this Chamber. Although there have been occasions when

strong words have been spoken, the general tenor of the, And debate has been

has been thoughtful, measured and moderate. I

л think we have all been struck by the sincerity of the

views which have been expressed.

For many years, the

the Hong Kong Government has

been committed to the development of a more representative

system of government. In shaping that development, we

have sought not merely to copy systems which work well in

other places, for Hong Kong is not like other places.

Instead, we have consciously sought to develop a system

which is suited to Hong Kong's own special circumstances

and meets its own special needs: in particular the need