5 July 1989
一九八九年七月五日
41
HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
香港立法局
Progress towards representative government
I agree with the FAC's belief that full democracy must be introduced in Hong Kong before 1997. I also agree with their recommended time-table of having 50% directly elected seats on the Legislative Council in 1991, and 100% in 1995. I also support the FAC's recommendation on the distribution of seats for the 1991 election.
But as to the method of election of the first Chief Executive, I regret that the FAC has fallen into error.
In proposing that the first Chief Executive be elected by an electoral college, it is clear that the FAC did not wish to "risk confrontation with the PRC." But the FAC also insisted that "this electoral college should itself be democratically constituted."
The most important question the FAC failed to answer is this: Should Beijing be allowed to influence, or even control, the election of the first Chief Executive?
If the answer is in the affirmative, then I can only say that after the Tiananmen Square massacre, no one in Hong Kong will accept a Chief Executive who acts purely according to instructions from Beijing, regardless of how unreasonable those instructions may be.
But if the answer to the question is in the negative, then the only acceptable method is by universal suffrage.
As to the risk of confronting China, and the fear that the first Chief Executive selected may not be acceptable to China, I suggest that these considerations equally apply to elections whether by universal suffrage or by a democratically constituted electoral college. For if Beijing wants to control or influence the election of the first Chief Executive, then China will also object to election by a democratically constituted electoral college for such a college may return someone unacceptable to Beijing. But if Beijing does not want to control or influence the election of the first Chief Executive, then China will not object to either model. But then the people of Hong Kong will feel much more comfortable if they know that they can elect their first Chief Executive on a one person one vote basis.
The other reason given by the FAC is the unanimous view of OMELCO that the Chief Executive would be elected by universal suffrage no later than the year 2003. The consensus was arrived at as a compromise, because the latest date on
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