3
conservative attitude towards the Basic Law?
A:
This is of course
That is to say, our
Why should China give HK special treatment? because of our outstanding economic performance. financial, service and manufacturing industries are very successful. What China wants is to preserve this asset of HK.
Sub-headlines: The number of BLCC seats allocated does not affect the
question of whether views will be accepted
Q:
What can be achieved by the BLCC?
a
A: When one mentions consultation, the HK Government is an expert in this field. Many people don't understand the meaning of "consultation." When two parties hold discussions on an equal footing, they are not consulting but are negotiating because in negotiations, decision can only be taken with the approval of both sides. In consultation, the two parties involved are not on an equal footing. For instance, when the president of a company consults his three managers, they may not share the same views or could even be in conflict with one another because of personal interest. The president may not or could not accept all ideas. He has the right to make his own decision after having listened to all the views expressed. The consultation on the Basic Law is a similar process. The Chinese Government cannot possibly accept all the views expressed by the people. The Chinese Government should make people understand this reality, otherwise some people will complain about the purpose of consultation when their views are not accepted. In fact, the purpose of consultation is to listen to as many views as possible and to ensure that no opinions are ignored before a decision is made.
Q: Will the views of the business sector carry more weight?
A: I cannot speak for China on its policy. But I think that it is wrong to put too much emphasis on the proportion of seats allocated for a certain sector in the BLCC because the committee is not going to make decisions by voting. China will not be bound by the result of voting. One must not forget that whether the Basic Law will work or not is the responsibility of the NPC, which is accountable to the people of HK and cannot push the responsibility for any mistakes onto the people consulted or members of the BLDC.
Q: As the finalised version of the Basic Law is of prime importance, what kind of Basic Law is ideal?
A: Most of the things that have to be included in the Basic Law have been clearly stated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The only thing that still lacks important provisions is the government
But even on government structure there are certain
For instance, the legislature will be constituted by
structure. provisions.