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MDLIAN 0209
MEMBER, SZETO WAH, WAS WORRIED THAT MRS THATCHER'S RESIGNATION WOULD AFFECT HK PEOPLE'S FAITH. HIS COLLEAGUE, MARTIN LEE, CRITICISED MRS THATCHER FOR NOT DOING ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR GREATER DEMOCRACY FOR HK AND HOPED THAT THE NEW PRIME MINISTER WOULD STRIVE FOR HK'S INTERESTS.
6. PERTER HARRIS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HK SAID THAT THE NEW PARTY LEADER SHOULD REPLACE THE FOREIGN MINISTER WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR HK, AND PUT IN SOMEONE WHO WOULD TAKE A STRONGER STAND ON HK AFFAIRS. POLITICAL COMMENTATOR LO CHI-KIN POINTED OUT THAT SINCE BOTH THE RULING AND OPPOSITION PARTIES WERE IN SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES ON HK AND CHINA, THERE WOULD NOT BE ANY MAJOR CHANGES. CHAN MING-KAU OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY WAS WORRIED THAT WHEN MOST BRITISH POLITICIANS WERE PREOCCUPIED WITH DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THEY WOULD PAY LESS ATTENTION TO HK'S PROBLEMS. TSIM TAK-LUNG AT THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY SAID THAT MICHAEL HESELTINE WOULD BE A 'WEAKER' NEGOTIATOR WITH CHINA AND IF DOUGLAS HURD BECAME PRIME MINISTER, THERE WOULD NOT BE AS MUCH CHANGE.
PROMOTION OF LU PING
7. THE PROMOTION OF LU PING AS DIRECTOR OF THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE AND THE RETIREMENT OF JI PENGFEI AND HIS DEPUTY, LI HOU, PROMPTED GOOD COVERAGE IN THE MEDIA (24-26.11).
8. THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, WAS WIDELY QUOTED (24.11) AS CONGRATULATING MR LU ON HIS NEW APPOINTMENT. SENIOR EXCO MEMBER BARONESS DUNN BELIEVED THE RESHUFFLE SHOULD NOT BE SEEN AS AN INDICATION THAT THE STATUS OF THE OFFICE HAD BEEN LOWERED. LEGCO MEMBER MARTIN LEE HOPED THAT MR LU WOULD MORE GENUINELY REFLECT TO THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIE'S THE REAL SITUATION IN THE TERRITORY. HIS COLLEAGUE SZETO WAH, BELIEVED THAT MR LU WOULD ONLY PLAY THE ROLE OF AN EXECUTIVE AND THAT THE ULTIMATE DECISIONS WOULD STILL BE IN THE HANDS OF CHINESE LEADERS LIKE DENG XIAOPING.
9. NPC LOCAL DELEGATE CHENG YIU-TONG DID NOT THINK THAT A CHANGE OF DIRECTOR WOULD HAVE ANY MAJOR IMPACT ON CHINA'S POLICIES ON THE TERRITORY. ANOTHER DELEGATE, NG HONG-MAN, SAID THE PROMOTION OF MR LU MIGHT INDICATE SOME DELICATE CHANGES AND HE BELIEVED THAT DECISIONS IN FORMULATING POLICIES ON HK AND MACAU WOULD BE MADE AT A HIGHER LEVEL IN THE CENTRAL AUTHORITIES. A VICE- DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA HK BRANCH, ZHANG JUNSHENG, SAID THAT THE APPOINTMENT OF MR LU WAS VERY SUITABLE AND THAT RESHUFFLES IN THE HK AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE WOULD NOT AFFECT THE NORMAL WORKING
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