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MDLIAN 7941
SEATS IN THE 1991 LEGCO ELECTIONS AND GREATER RIGHTS FOR THE POTENTIAL VOTERS IN HONG KONG. HOWEVER, THE MEDIA (3.1) QUOTED SOURCES AS SAYING THAT MR HURD WOULD NOT MAKE ANY MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS DURING HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG FROM JANUARY 13 TO 16. THE FCO SPOKESMAN IN HONG KONG, SAID THAT THERE WERE INDICATIONS THAT BRITAIN WOULD SHORTLY MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE QUESTION OF POLITICAL REFORM IN HONG KONG, ATV AND A FEW PAPERS REPORTED.
9. SENIOR LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE SAID THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD DECIDE FUTURE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HONG KONG'S INTERESTS AND THE PEOPLE'S WISHES. MR LEE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT WORRY WHETHER THE PRE-1997 POLITICAL SYSTEM COULD CONFORM WITH THE BASIC LAW BECAUSE NO ONE COULD GUARANTEE THAT THE PRE-1997 POLITICAL SYSTEM WOULD BE TOTALLY ADOPTED BY THE SARG. HE SAID THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE VIEWS OF THE CHINESE SIDE AND THE BL WHILE FORMULATING THE PRE-1997 POLITICAL SYSTEM FOR HONG KONG.
BILL OF RIGHTS
10. BASIC LAW MAINLAND DRAFTER WANG SHUWEN SAID THAT THE DRAFTING OF THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION SHOULD BE A MATTER FOR THE HKG, THAT THE CHINESE WOULD NOT INTERFERE AND THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS, LIKE OTHER LAWS OF HONG KONG, SHOULD NOT CONTRAVENE THE BASIC LAW. THE BILL SHOULD HAVE THE SAME STATUS AS OTHER LAWS OF HONG KONG, HE ADDED. LU PING, SAID THAT UNDER THE PRESENT LEGAL SYSTEM OF HONG KONG, NO SINGLE PIECE OF LEGISLATION HAD A HIGHER STATUS. THEREFORE, THE BILL OF RIGHTS ENJOYING A HIGHER STATUS, WOULD CONTRAVENE THE EXISTING LEGAL SYSTEM, SOME PAPERS REPORTED. EVEN THE DRAFT BASIC LAW HAD NOT SET OUT WHICH PIECE OF LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE A HIGHER STATUS THAN OTHERS. THE REMARKS DREW CRITICISMS FROM SEVERAL LOCAL LEGAL EXPERTS, WHO SAID THAT SUCH REMARKS SHOWED THAT THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS WERE IGNORANT OF WESTERN LEGAL SYSTEMS, SEVERAL PAPERS (20.12) REPORTED.
11. RADIO 3 (22.12) REPORTED THAT THE HKG WOULD SHELVE PLANS TO GIVE THE PROPOSED BILL OF RIGHTS SUPREMACY. THE GOVERNMENT'S MOVE FOLLOWED STRONG INDICATIONS FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS THAT THEY WOULD OPPOSE THE SUPREMACY OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS. THE HK STANDARD, QUOTING A GOVERNMENT SOURCE, SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS EXPECTED TO BACK OFF FROM PUTTING FORWARD A BILL OF RIGHTS THAT WOULD BE SUPREME OVER ALL LAWS OF HONG KONG IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFLICTS WITH PEKING. A HIGH RANKING GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TOLD THE HK ECONOMIC TIMES (28.12) HE BELIEVED THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS WOULD NOT
INFRINGE THE BASIC LAW.
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