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ARRANGED FOR THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS TO MEET CONOMICS SCHOLARS AND KEY FIGURES IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR. THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS MIGHT WISH TO ENLIST THESE CONOMISTS' SUPPORT IN ENGINEERING A REVISION
OF RESTRICTIVE BL PROVISIONS IN CHAPTER V CONCERNING BALANCED
BUDGET AND LOW TAX POLICY IN OTHER AREAS, HOWEVER, IT WAS LESS CLEAR, AT LEAST AT THIS STAGE, HOW FAR THE CHINESE ARE PREPARED TO GIVE IN TO PUBLIC PRESSURES IN HONG KONG.
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5. AS THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE ENTERED ITS SECOND MONTH, THE INEFFICIENCY OF THE BLCC SECRETARIAT BEGAN TO SHOW. IT WAS WIDELY
THOUGHT THAT THE BLCC SECRETARIAT HAD FAILED TO GENERATE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE DRAFT BL IN SPITE OF ITS CLAIM THAT SOME 800,000
COPIES OF THE DRAFT HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED. THERE WERE ALSO COMPLAINTS
THAT IT FAILED TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES ORGANISED BY LOCAL GROUPS DESPITE PRIOR PROMISES. MANY COMMUNITY
ORGANISATIONS AND PRESSURE GROUPS, E.G. THE HK FEDERATION OF EDUCTION WORKERS, THE ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND PEOPLE'S
LIVELIHOOD AND THE JOINT CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS ON THE REACTION TO THE BL HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO PUBLICISE THE DRAFT AND
COLLECT PUBLIC OPINIONS FOR BLCC. THERE CONTINUED TO BE CALLS FOR
OPINION POLLS IN ORDER TO CANVASS THE VIEWS OF THE SILENT MAJORITY.
6. PRESS COMMENTARIES WERE MOSTLY WRITTEN BY A HANDFUL OF POLITICAL
COMMENTATORS AND LAWYERS. ONE OF THE COMMON THEMES WAS THAT THE ''ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' CONCEPT WAS UNDER THREAT DUE TO THE
CPG'S UNWILLINGNESS TO DELEGATE ITS AUTHORITY TO THE SAR. ART 16-18 AND 169 WERE FREQUENTLY QUOTED TO ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT. IT WAS ARGUED THAT TO BOOST CONFIDENCE, THE CPG SHOULD RESTRAIN ITSELF IN EXERCISING ITS SOVEREIGN RIGHTS, E.G. THE NPC STANDING COMMITEE SHOULD DELEGATE ITS POWER TO INTERPRET THOSE BL ARTICLES FALLING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE SAR'S AUTONOMY TO THE SAR'S COURT OF
FINAL APPEAL. IT WAS ALSO PROPOSED THAT AMBIGUOUS PHRASES SUCH AS
GIVE EXPRESSION TO NATIONAL UNITY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
IN ARTICLE 17, ''THE EXECUTIVE ACTS OF THE CPG'' IN ARTICLE 18 AND
UNDERMINE NATIONAL UNITY OR SUBVERT THE CPG'' IN ARTICLE 22 SHOULD
BE CLARIFIED OR DELETED.
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7 THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST SARG EMERGED AS A SUBJECT OF DEBATE.
THE PUBLIC SEEMED TO HAVE GRASPED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FIRST SARG IN LAYING DOWN THE COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUTURE
POLITICAL SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WAS VIEWED
WITH SUSPICION. THE SAME WAS TRUE FOR THE GEC CONCEPT. THERE WAS ALSO INCREASING CONCERN ABOUT NATIONALITY ISSUES, IN PARTICULAR WHETHER HK PEOPLE HOLDING FOREIGN PASSPORTS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR
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