TNAG-1858-FCO40-2633-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 37

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

M

5 July 1989

2071

Following the 4 June tragic event and the refusal to grant the right of abode to BDTC passport holders, there is a strong resentful mood in the community towards both the Chinese Government as well as the British Government. This would do more harm than good to our territory because I personally fail to see how the Joint Declaration can work for the present and future of Hong Kong if there is a lack of goodwill towards Hong Kong by either country. The crisis of confidence arises out of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. We look to the parties to this declaration to act in restoring confidence. Equally important, Hong Kong must also ask herself to adopt measures to help in restoring confidence.

Despite the fact that the FAC report is disappointing in a number of important respects, many of its views are worthy of further and careful study, such as the recommendation given on the various aspects of the draft Basic Law and interpretation of the Basic Law regarding our judicial system and our political structure leading up to 1997. Briefly, in dealing with the nationality issue, insufficient weight and support was being given to the strength and justness of our conviction that the right of abode should be restored to all BDTC passport holders. The moral case in support of our just claim has been inadequately presented, so has the related issue of the confidence crisis here in Hong Kong. The confidence issue has become more crucial and imporatant since the 4 June tragic event.

Against the background of the recent visit by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and his intimation on the issue of right of abode and the related confidence crisis in Hong Kong, we, the people of Hong Kong must not be deflected from the equally and perhaps more important task for Hong Kong to form and establish as democratic a system and framework of government administration as possible to replace the existing British administration.

Parallel with this objective should be our determination to maintain our investment aims related to our long-term programmes in the fields of education, training, health, social affairs as well as our long-term investment and our aim to improve our overall infrastructures so that we can do all we can to shape the future prosperity for this territory and provide a promising future for those who are willing to stay behind irrespective of their race, colour and creed as well as creating investment opportunities for our local and overseas investors. This would then provide additional opportunities and thereby attract the professional talents who would have left Hong Kong to return here.

Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion.

MRS. TAM (in Cantonese): Sir, I share the great disappointment felt by many Hong Kong citizens over the fact that the report on Hong Kong published by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament has failed to offer any immediate and effective solution to the nationality issue which is of gravest concern to us.