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MDADAN 7303
INTERESTS FIRST. IT WAS A GOOD APPOINTMENT FOR HONG KONG. SIMON MURRAY CHUTCHISON WHAMPOA) AND OTHERS BELIEVED THAT HONG KONG WOULD BE BETTER REPRESENTED IN BRITAIN THAN IN THE PAST.
10. THERE WAS A MIXED REACTION FROM POLITICAL AND LABOUR GROUPS. THE HONG KONG DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATION BELIEVED MR. PATTEN WOULD DO HIS BEST TO DEAL WITH HONG KONG MATTERS. THE LEFT-WING FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS HOPED MR. PATTEN WOULD ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO SINO-UK-HK RELATIONS TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION. THE ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD AND MEETING POINT, HOWEVER, REGRETTED THAT THE GOVERNORSHIP WAS OFFERED AS A CONSOLATION PRIZE.
EDITORIALS
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MOST EDITORIALS, INCLUDING THE COMMUNIST PAPERS, WELCOMED THE NEWS AND HOPED THAT MR. PATTEN WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO HK'S WELL-BEING. WAH KIU YAT PO SAID THAT, AS A WELL-VERSED POLITICIAN, MR. PATTEN COULD HELP RESOLVE DISPUTES BETWEEN BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG. SING TAO DAILY SAID THAT MR. PATTEN'S SINCERITY AND OPEN-MINDEDNESS COULD MAKE UP FOR HIS INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE ABOUT CHINA AND HONG KONG. WEN WEI PO SAID THAT IN APPOINTING SUCH A POLITICAL HEAVYWEIGHT, BRITAIN HAD FOCUSED ITS ATTENTION NOT ONLY ON HONG KONG'S INTERESTS BUT THOSE OF BRITAIN IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. MING PAO WAS THE ONLY MAJOR CHINESE LANGUAGE PAPER THAT GAVE A NEGATIVE ASSESSMENT. IT SAID THAT THE APPOINTMENT WAS A MOCKERY AND COULD NOT BUT DISAPPOINT HONG KONG WITH THE PRIME MINISTER'S DISREGARD FOR HONG KONG'S
INTERESTS.
12. THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST SAID HONG KONG WOULD BENEFIT FROM HAVING ONE OF BRITAIN'S FRONT-RANK POLITICIANS AS GOVERNOR. IF MR. PATTEN SUCCEEDED IN PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP HONG KONG NEEDED, HE WOULD HAVE EARNED THE GRATITUDE OF HONG KONG PEOPLE, AND THE ADMIRATION OF HIS POLITICAL FRIENDS IN LONDON. THE STANDARD SAID THAT MR. PATTERN QUOTE LOOKS LIKE AN ABLE MAN, AND HONG KONG SHOULD GET BEHIND HIM AND GIVE HIM A GO UNQUOTE.
WILSON
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