TNAG-1845-FCO40-2620-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 113

1989-93-23 13:52 G.I.S

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views on how that knowledge of that future impinges on

the present

3 smooth

the BAR10

Michael Collins Welsh: How much do we need to ensure transfor in 1997. particularly in terms of the demands of Law impinge on your responsibility to administer Hong Kong up to 1997?

Governor:

་

degree

question On the general point. if I might. the

impinge On the of how the problem or the provisions of the future present there is a general point there which is important to Hong Kong about The and

uncertainty that 13 that uncertainty. or possible

== future, Was a very major factor in Hong Kong. And that of course fundamental to the whole question of a seed to negotiate on the future of certainty. of Hong

and Kong

try to produce a Greater

investment mid-1980s Otherwise most people reckoned by the

been simply have flowed out of Hong Kong and it would have and political problems of a very major proportion. On how much my

25 to say that I is affected now. I suppose i role

number of issues rela ed NOW have to pay more attention to future and detailed working out than any of my predecess

to.

true

would economic

OWN

governor

to

AS

rз have had

Very major

But intc

mentioned.

I have to take a very close interes: in what goes on in the Liaison Group into which the Hong Kong Government has a input. it affects a lot of the arrangements that have been place in the future. We have to consider a great deal of detailed work preparing for the future. Legislation was one point that I 'le have to think ahead to how we so organise the civil service that ye including can meet the provisions laid down in the Joint Declaration. the one that certain senior posts can only be held by people who Chinese nationals. So we have to make sure that our civil service 30 organised if that is possible. It's actually localisation is

clear end objective. Of

but ongoing Similarly, in the Police Force. we

we have to work in such a way that increase the number of senior police officers who are local people. Sc insure not there is an immense amount of work one way or another to only

a smooth transfer, but something which is very close to all

has the verY minds which is to ensure that the SAR when it start possible opportunity for fulfilling all those areas of autonomy have been laid down for it in the Joint Declaration.

Q:

an

process

of

now we

have

â

pari

WE

OUC

besi which

Kom

prior

go overnight course, you can't just

will Hong different system

so could I ask to what extent effectively be governed by the provisions of the Basic Law 1997. as you say, you're going part of the way now?

ver

ta Governor:

We won't be governed by the provisions of

by influenced

it ver Basic Law at all before 1997. We would be

is the Legislative Council. strongly in one important area and that we follow the provisions for mirror-image setting up in 1995. the gam

that way we will be gystem that's going be there after 1997, in much influenced by what's in the Basic Law in order to get the sort o continuity that we want. That's the main area where we will be clearl

will influenced by the text of the Basic Law. In other things we influenced by what's written in the Joint Declaration.

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