TNAG-2601-FCO40-3789-Departure-of-Lord-Wilson--former-Governor-of-Hong-Kong--July-1992 — Page 53

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Full translation of a commentary by Li Ming

Wen Wei Po, January 1, 1992

Headline: Dumping the Governor, change of Governor and the

"lame duck"

Pending the naming, of a successor, the British Prime Minister's Office had suddenly announced the departure of Governor Sir David Wilson before the end of next year. This is a vary extraordinary move. When Sir Edward Youde replaced Sir Murray MacLehose, London announced the new appointment four months in advance so that the change of Governor would not create any uncertainty. Now, with the British general election to be held before July, it is not yet known who will take the helm. London has no way of knowing in advance who will have the power to select a successor to Sir David. Therefore, the announcement of a change of Governor on New Year's Eve must be a nove that has political significance. It is unlikely that the move is based on administrative or technical needs.

The aim behind such a mova is clear. The Conservative Party has made all necessary preparations in the run-up to 1997. It has made plans for implementation and choice of personnel. Regardless of what happens, it would announce a year before hand that the days of the Governor were numbered, thus projecting an image of a "lame duck"

Governor.

Prior to these incidents, some people were already "forcing the issue" on the Governor, while saying in public that the Governor would be replaced. Their campaign to "dump the Governor" was conducted with London's acquiescence and was aimed at giving the impression that if some public figures in HK did not like the Governor, they could openly state their dissatisfaction and then the future of the Governor would be affected. In doing so, the influence of Legco would be greatly inflated. These people denied a Sino-British accord on the Court of Final Appeal. They could discuss and decide on a committee system on their own and threaten the executive-led structure. ~Legco member Martin Lee has said in public that the Governor should not chair Legco aessions. Felice Lieh-mak suggested that Legco should discuss the selection of the next Governor and Britain should consult Legco on the matter. Baroness Dunn even said: "The British no longer have any new ventures in HK for which they will be responsible over the next five years." What she was saying was that the HK Governor was no longer responsible for the effective administration of the territory in the run-up to 1997. Racher, certain people in Legco could make all the dacisions.

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