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MINISTER WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR HIM TO WORK FOR HK'S INTERESTS AND WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THE NEW GOVERNOR TO UPHOLD THE JD AND SPEED UP THE PACE OF DEMOCRATISATION IN HK. HUI YIN FAT BELIEVED THE NEW GOVERNOR WOULD NOT HAVE PROBLEMS IN REFLECTING HK VIEWS TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AS HE HAD DIRECT CONTACTS WITH THE TOP. WANG GUNGWU SAID MR PATTEN WAS AN APPROPRIATE CHOICE AS HE HAD IMMENSE EXPERIENCE IN THE POLITICAL FIELD AND ENJOYED A HIGH POSITION IN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY. HE WAS ECHOED BY ANDREW WONG. RITA FAN HOPED MR PATTEN WOULD DO HIS BEST FOR HK'S INTERESTS. YEUNG SUM SAID IT WAS HARD TO MAKE A JUDGEMENT NOW BUT HOPED THAT MR PATTEN WOULD CONCENTRATE ON THE MORALE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THE INFLATION PROBLEM. EMILY LAU NOTED MR PATTEN HAD GOOD POLITICAL CONNECTIONS AND HOPED HE WOULD LEARN ABOUT HK AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. TAM YIU CHANG SAID THE CLOSE TIES MR PATTEN HAD WITH THE PRIME MINISTER AND HIS HIGH REPUTATION WITHIN THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY WOULD ENHANCE THE STATUS OF THE HK GOVERNOR IN BRITAIN'S POLITICAL ARENA. STEPHEN CHEONG HOPED MR PATTEN WOULD WORK FOR HK'S SMOOTH TRANSITION AND RONALD ARCULLI, MARTIN BARROW AND ELSIE TU WERE CONFIDENT MR PATTEN WOULD DO A GOOD JOB.
5. PAPERS NOTED (26.4) THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION ISSUED A STATEMENT AND URGED MR PATTEN TO PROMPTLY HANDLE PROBLEMS SUCH AS LAW AND ORDER, INFLATION AND HOUSING AND MAINTAIN GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN HK, CHINA AND BRITAIN. THE HK DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATION URGED MR PATTEN TO APPOINT MEMBERS OF POLITICAL GROUPS TO EXCO AND INCREASE THE REPRESENTATIVENESS OF THE COUNCIL. MEETING POINT HOPED MR PATTEN WOULD GAIN A BETTER BARGAINING POSITION FOR HK AT JLG AND AT DIPLOMATIC LEVEL. BUSINESS LEADERS GENERALLY BELIEVED HK'S AFFAIRS WOULD BE BETTER REPRESENTED IN BRITAIN THAN IN THE PAST. THE HK GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WELCOMED MR PATTEN'S APPOINTMENT.
ALASTAIR GOODLAD
6. THE APPOINTMENT OF ALASTAIR GOODLAD AS FCO MINISTER WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR HK WAS GIVEN GOOD COVERAGE. MR GOODLAD WAS QUOTED AS SAYING THAT HE WAS PLEASED TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE NEW RESPONSIBILITY.
7. LEGCO AND EXCO MEMBERS WELCOMED MR GOODLAD'S APPOINTMENT AND CALLED ON HIM TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL VISIT SOON. BARONESS DUNSAID IT WAS GOOD HAVE A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, WHERE POLICY DECISIONS WERE MADE, IN THE PORTFOLIO. HER VIEN WAS SHARED BY MARTIN LEE, WHO HOPED THAT THE NEW TEAM OF POLITICIANS RESPONSIBLE FOR HK WOULD LOOK INTO BRITAIN'S BASIC POLICIES TOWARDS CHINA AND HK AGAIN. OTHERS WELCOMING THE APPOINTMENT INCLUDED PETER WONG, STEPHEN CHEONG
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