CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS
5.1 Reaction to the invitation to comment on the draft agreement has been vigorous and sustained and the views received provided a credible basis on which to make an assessment (paras. 2.8, 2.24, 2.28):-
The response has come from a wide cross-section of the community. (Paras. 2.8-2.23)
The views expressed have in the main been well presented and carefully thought out. (Para. 2.8)
The number of submissions from all sources, both direct and indirect, totals 3,557; of these 2,494 have been sent directly to the Office and 1,063 are items monitored through the media. (Paras. 2.12, 2.19, 2.21, 2.23)
Of the direct submissions, 1,815 came from individuals and 679 from organizations or groups representing very large numbers of people. (Paras. 2.19, 2.21)
The media network has made a major contribution towards the public's broad understanding of the draft agreement itself and reaction to it. (Para. 2.11)
The representative character of the response from organizations has been of great significance. (Paras. 2.27 and 2.28)
5.2 Most of the people of Hong Kong find the draft agreement acceptable. This conclusion is supported by the consistency of the views expressed (paras. 3.1, 3.18):-
The overall picture from reports by and through the media is one of general acceptance. (Para. 3.4)
All the principal representative bodies have unequivocally placed on record their view that the draft agreement is acceptable. (Paras. 3.5– 3.10)
The overwhelming majority of organizations and groups which expressed their views found the draft agreement acceptable. (Paras. 3.11-3.13)
Most of the individuals who expressed a view on the question of overall acceptability found the draft agreement acceptable. (Para. 3.14)
The findings of various independent opinion surveys indicated general acceptance. (Para. 3.15)
5.3 A wide range of views from outright praise, to qualified acceptance, to rejection has been expressed. (Paras. 3.20-3.25)
5.4 Overall acceptance of the draft agreement has in many cases been accompanied by expressions of concern and anxiety about its implementation. (Para. 3.22)
5.5 Comments have been made on every aspect of the draft agreement and these are summarized in Chapter 4. The Office considers it important to draw attention to the views expressed on the Exchange of Memoranda,
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