:
RESTRICTED
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 429
RESTRICTED
HKB012
14
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
OF 050915Z FEBRUARY 90
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
#
FEB 1990
EPICER
PA
Action Taxen
31
104165
MDHIAN 5221
BASIC LAW: POLITICAL STRUCTURE LOCAL REACTION
1. PRESS REPORTS ON FURTHER LOCAL REACTION TO THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE PROVISIONS IN THE BL ARE SUMMARISED BELOW:
SEPARATE VOTE COUNTING
2. THE MEETING CONVENED BY DOROTHY LIU TO DISCUSS SEPARATE VOTE COUNTING (PARA 6 OF OUR TELNO 411) WAS ATTENDED BY 6 HK DRAFTERS, THE NEW HK ALLIANCE, THE MODERATES AND A FEW REGIONAL COUNCILLORS. NEITHER THE G89 NOR THE LIBERALS TOOK PART. AT THE MEETING, VARIOUS PARTICIPANTS CLARIFIED THEIR POSITIONS ON THE POLITICAL MODEL. REPRESENTING THE NEW HK ALLIANCE, BLCC MEMBER KAN FOOK-YEE MAINTAINED THAT THE BICAMERAL PROPOSALS WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF THE ALLIANCE AND WAS NOT DEVISED AT THE INSTIGATION OF THE CHINESE
SIDE. HE LISTED 37 ORGANISATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSAL. (HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL POINTED OUT THAT A VAST MAJORITY OF THESE WERE PRO-CHINA.) HK CO-CONVENOR OF THE SPECIAL GROUP ON CPG/SAR RELATIONSHIP, RAYSON HUANG, SAID HE WAS WORRIED ABOUT THE SEPARATE VOTE COUNTING MECHANISM, AS IT WAS NOT PRACTISED ELSEWHERE APART FROM SOUTH AFRICA. THE MEETING WAS INCONCLUSIVE.
SZETO WAH
3. SZETO WAH COMMENTED ON 4 FEBRUARY THAT THERE WAS A DANGER THAT
HK DRAFTERS MIGHT ACCEPT AN EVEN SLOWER PACE OF DIRECT ELECTION IN
LEGCO AS A TRADE-OFF FOR REMOVAL SEPARATE VOTE-COUNTING. HE SAID SEVERAL LOCAL DRAFTERS HAD EMPHASISED THAT THE POLITICAL MODEL SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A PACKAGE, AND THIS COULD MEAN THAT THE ABOLITION OF SEPARATE VOTE COUNTING AT THE EXPENSE OF THE NUMBER OF DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS.
4. HE SAID THAT HE SAW LITTLE PROSPECT THAT THE MAINSTREAM MODEL
WOULD BE IMPROVED WHEN THE BL WAS FINALISED.
LEGCO DEBATE ON THE BL