DEMOCRACY
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Current Position
8.
The final draft of the Basic Law which emerged from the plenary
the meeting of the Basic Law Drafting Committee in Peking pr. 12
12-16 out of February provides for 20 directly elected seats (in 1997, and for further increases to 24 seats in 1999 and 30 seats in 2003. This
draft has now been referred to the National People's Congress,
beginning on 20 March, for promulgation.
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British Attitude
9.
Foriçi
The Secretary of State announced on 16 February, our decision to
fewer at Leash introduce 18 directly elected seats in 1991 and no less than 20 in
1995. (A copy of his statement attached.) This rate of progress is not as rapid as many people in Hong Kong or we ourselves would have liked. But it is a considerable improvement on the outcome of
the proposals which emerged from the meetings of the Basic Law
Drafting Committee which took place in Canton in December and
January. It represents a willingness by the Basie Law drafters to
respond to the representations which we and others in Hong Kong have
been making. We shall continue to press the case for a faster pace
in the of democratisation and hope that the Chinese government will come to see that a larger/proportion of directly elected seats in 1997 would be both manageable and desirable.
10.
Although there were some protests from vocal minorities in Hong
Kong (the Liberals, student groups etc,) the overall reaction in the territory, as reflected in the Chinese language press and the Hong Seng index, was one of relief that confrontation with the Chinese
had been avoided.
Been
Although the decision fell short of the OMELCO
consensus, OMELCO issued a positive and balanced statement,
welcoming the removal of a major uncertainty for the territory's
future and stressing the importance of making a success of the 1991
elections. (A copy of the OMELCO statement is attached.)
NESA EX
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