HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 28 February 1990
香港立法局 一九九0年二月二十八日
40
- Did we tell our people that they should support some other proposal when the Chinese Government so brusquely dismissed the OMELCO model?
And after the recent deal between the British and Chinese Governments was struck, did the public give up their support of the OMELCO model?
Do we now feel that the OMELCO model is not after all in the interest of the people of Hong Kong and that we were wrong to have proposed it?
If not, why then should we give up now?
My honourable colleague, Mr. Allen LEE, is indeed correct to stress the interests of Hong Kong people, for the crucial question we must ask ourselves is this: does the Basic Law accord with the wishes of the people of Hong Kong? Throughout the last eight years of negotiations over the future of Hong Kong and the drafting of the Basic Law, the overriding concern has been whether the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law were acceptable to our people here. Both the British and Chinese Governments have consistently claimed to be adhering to this position, and both have currently legitimitized their secret deal on the basis that it reflects the opinions of the people of Hong Kong.
Indeed, both governments cannot maintain any other position: Sir, it is our future that is at stake; the government structure proposed by the Basic Law is our government.
Until very recently, the British Government has always sought to justify all its decisions regarding the future of Hong Kong on the mandate of popular support. In 1984, after Britain had initialled the draft Joint Declaration with China, the Hong Kong Government was asked to conduct a consultation exercise here before Parliament would endorse the treaty. Similarly, in 1987, before publishing its White Paper on constitutional development, the Government conducted two opinion polls to gauge public opinion. Flawed though these two polls were since their results went against the other nine major territory-wide polls that were conducted independently during the same period the Government was at least concerned that it has the fig leaf of popular support to justify its actions.