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14.
Most people in Hong Kong welcome the fact that a clear
direction has now been set and that a major uncertainty for the
future of the territory has been removed. This reaction was
reflected in the positive and forward-looking statement issued by
OMELCO on 16 February. The community in Hong Kong recognise that
their task now is to work together to make a success of the first
direct elections in 1991 and to demonstrate that Hong Kong people
can be trusted to exercise their responsibilities sensibly. This is
seen as the best way of persuading the Chinese authorities that a
faster pace of democratisation is both desirable and manageable.
Green Paper on Electoral Law
15.
The Committee recommended that a Green Paper should be published as soon as possible to canvas views on an electoral law
for the elections in 1991 (paragraph 3.12). Details of the proposed arrangements for the 1991 elections were announced by the Chief Secretary in Hong Kong on 21 March. The Legislative Council will have an opportunity to debate these proposals when draft legislation
is introduced.
16. The Committee took the view that the number of functional
constituencies should not be increased. But the Basic Law provides
for 50% of the seats in the legislature to be returned by functional
constituencies in the first three terms of the legislature up to
2007. It therefore makes sense to move gradually towards that
proportion. Moreover functional constituencies have proved
successful in Hong Kong. For these reasons it is proposed that the
number of functional constituencies should be increased from 14 to
21 in 1991.
The Chief Executive
17. The Committee recommended that the first Chief Executive should
be elected by a democratically constituted Electoral College and
that the second and third Chief Executives should be elected by
universal suffrage (paragraph 3.18). Article 45 of the Basic Law
CATAAU (7)
CONFIDENTIAL