TNAG-2248-FCO40-3231-Trade-investment-conferences-concerning-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 33

SPEECH BY DAVID K.P. LI IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

POLICY DEBATE 1991 Wednesday, 30th October 1991

Sir,

As Representative of the Banking Industry, I would like to thank His Excellency the Governor for his words of encouragement when opening this Session of the Legislative Council. In reviewing the terms of reference of the Administration and this Council, the Governor made the vital distinction between "The Government" and its constituent parts.

In Hong Kong's new constitutional era, "The Government" is not the Administration alone. "The Government" comprises the Administration, this Council, the Executive Council, the Judiciary and most importantly - the people of Hong Kong. Together, we form "The Government" of Hong Kong. This distinction is more than an issue of semantics. It is an issue of both responsibility and accountability.

Members of this Council - and their Constituents - begin this Legislative Session with the hope that, at its conclusion, there will be no cause to repeat the lament voiced by our Senior Member. During the Budget Debate last March, he stated that in more than 13 years of public service he could remember only one instance when a proposal by Un-Official Members had been implemented.

The door, however,

however, swings both ways. We as Legislative Councillors must work to ensure that our Senior Member's lament is not replaced by a new complaint: That narrow, special-interest politics have slowed the legislative process to a crawl.

We must not forget that historically Hong Kong has enjoyed the most responsive and most effective Government in Asia. There has always been room for improvement. But in updating old systems and practices, we must be careful not "to throw out the baby with the bath water".

the

We must do our utmost to maintain and to enhance efficiency of the legislative process. We must be flexible and open-minded. We must work to encourage - not discourage the efforts, enthusiasm and interest of the civil service, our fellow Councillors and the public in formulating and

and implementing appropriate policy.

Policy Debate 1991 -