ONCE upon a time, an invitation to see the Governor was worth its weight in gold . . . yesterday Chris Patten issued 94 of them and got very few takers.
Asked to honour his commitment to co-operate with the Preparatory Committee by meeting its members, Mr Patten said he would be delighted to do so.
But far from reaching for their appointment diaries, most of the 94 Hong Kong members of the China-appointed handover body didn't believe Mr Patten could contribute much to their work.
David Chu Yu-lin, one of several Legislative Councillors who also sit on the Preparatory Committee, is obviously a man of the people.
It was far more important, he said, for committee members to meet the public and listen to their views on handover issues rather than those of the Governor.
'The Preparatory Committee's job is to plan the administration for the Special Administrative Region government, but the term of Chris Patten will expire in July of next year,' he said.
'Therefore, I don't think the Governor can help a lot on matters after 1997.' Another committee man, Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong chairman Tsang Yok-sing, said there was no longer any 'big meaning' in a meeting with the Governor.
