TNAG-2449-FCO40-3565-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1992 — Page 29

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1992-12-04 18:56 COMMS OFFICE (GOVT HOUSE)

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CLEAR UNDER THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT THERE

PROGRESS TOWARDS GREATER DEMOCRACY.

THERE SHOULD BE ORDERLY

THAT IS PLAIN IN THE JOINT

DECLARATION. IT'S ALSO PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT YOU CANNOT FIND IN THE

BASIC LAW, ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS WHICH I HAVE TRIED TO TACKLE IN

THE PROPOSALS THAT I'VE PUT FORWARD FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS. BOTH

THOSE PROPOSITIONS ARE CLEAR, AND I THINK THAT THE HONOURABLE LADY

WOULD REGARD ME AS FAILING IN MY DUTY IF I DIDN'T PUT FORWARD MY OWN

PROPOSALS. I ASSUME THAT THE HONOURABLE LADY REGARDS THE CRITERIA

THAT I'VE SET OUT AS BEING ACCEPTABLE ONES.

WELL, THE CRITERIA, THE HONOURABLE LADY WILL RECALL, ARE THAT

THE ELECTIONS SHOULD BE FAIR AND OPEN AND ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF

HONG KONG I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT TO PUT AN ARGUMENT FOR THE CONTRARY

PROPOSITIONS. SO I'VE DONE WHAT I'M OBLIGED TO DO SINCE THERE ARE

GAPS IN THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENTS, AND I'VE DONE SO IN A WAY WHICH I

THINK RECOGNISES NOT WHAT EVERY POLITICAL GROUP OR COMMUNITY GROUP HAS

BEEN PRESSING FOR IN THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THE POSITION WHEN I CAME

WAS THAT PEOPLE WERE PRESSING FOR A GREAT DEAL MORE DEMOCRACY THAN THE

MODEST STEPS ALLOWED FOR IN MY PROPOSALS.

JIMMY MCGREGOR: GOVERNOR, YOU WILL COME TO A POSITION, I'M SURE QUITE

SOON, WHEN YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ASSESS WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT YOU HAVE FOR

YOUR PROPOSALS EXTENSIVELY ACROSS THE COMMUNITY AND AT THE SAME TIME

WHERE THE DISAGREEMENT WITH YOUR PROPOSALS WILL ALSO RISE. I'M SORRY

TO SAY THAT IN BUSINESS THERE IS AN INCREASING CONCERN WITH THE

ATTITUDE TAKEN BY CHINA AND A VERY SUBSTANTIAL CONCERN WITH THE

CONTINUATION OF DIALOGUE WITH CHINA. AT SOME POINT FAIRLY SOON, AND

BEFORE YOUR LEGISLATION COMES BEFORE THIS COUNCIL, WHEN REALLY YOU'VE

REACHED A POINT ALMOST OF NO RETURN I WOULD THINK, AT LEAST YOU'RE

PUTTING INTO THE COUNCIL DECISIONS AT THAT STAGE WHICH COULD POSSIBLY

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