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002071 MDLIAN 5346
BECAUSE MANY LIBERAL GROUPS DENOUNCED THE CPG AS HAVING LOST IS
LEGITIMACY IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 1989 CRACKDOWN. DESPITE THIS CHANGE OF STANCE, ADPL IS STILL NOT READY TO HAVE ANY OFFICIAL CONTACT WITH THE CPG. MEETING POINT HAS RESUMED INFORMAL CONTACTS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS AND THE NCNA HONG KONG BRANCH EVEN SENT A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE GROUP'S EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.
7. AFTER A PERIOD OF INACTIVITY, THE HONG KONG DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATION (HKDF) HAS NOW FOUND ITS NICHE AND HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE LATELY. IT SIGNED UP ANOTHER LEGCO MEMBER (CHAN YING-LUN) AND FIELDED 7 CANDIDATES FOR THE COMING DB ELECTION. DESPITE ITS STRONG PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP, THE HKDF HOLDS VIEWS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO LIBERAL GROUPS AND IS THUS OFTEN CONSIDERED AS SUCH. AS YOU ARE AWARE, THE HKDF SPONSORED A VISIT TO HONG KONG BY A DELEGATION FROM THE ELECTORAL REFORM SOCIETY. THE DELEGATION IS NOW IN THE TERRITORY AND HAS MET WITH OMELCO AND GOVERNMENT
REPRESENTATIVES.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
8. THE LDF HAS EMERGED AS THE SOLE STANDARD-BEARER FOR CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS. THE NEW HONG
KONG ALLIANCE HAS STILL NOT RECOVERED FROM THE DEBACLE WITH ITS PROPOSAL OF A BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE, WHILE THE HONG KONG FOUNDATION SHOWS NO SIGN OF PROGRESSING BEYOND BEING A THINK TANK. THE LDF, HOWEVER, SUFFERS FROM BOTH A LACK OF GRASS-ROOT ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT AND A DEARTH OF GOOD, WILLING CANDIDATES. IT IS THEREFORE NOT SURPRISING THAT IT IS ONLY ABLE TO FIELD 35 CANDIDATES THIS TIME. LDF CLAIMS THAT ANOTHER 20 TO 30 CANDIDATES ARE ITS MEMBERS, BUT THE DECISION OF THESE TO RUN AS INDEPENDENTS BESPEAKS A FEAR THAT TOO CLOSE AN IDENTIFICATION WITH LDF MAY MAKE THEM VULNERABLE TO LIBERAL ATTACK AND COST THEM GRASS-ROOT SUPPORT. TO REMEDY THIS AND TO BROADEN ITS APPEAL TO VOTERS, THE LDF HAS TAKEN ON A NUMBER OF POPULIST AND PRO-LABOUR POLICY POSITIONS SUCH AS ADVOCATING A COMPULSORY PROVIDENT FUND SCHEME AND RESTRICTIONS ON IMPORT OF LABOUR. AT THE SAME TIME, IT HAS MADE CLEAR THAT IT IS PREPARED TO BE FLEXIBLE OVER ITS PLATFORM AND MEMBERS WOULD BE OBLIGED ONLY TO SUBSCRIBE TO ESSENTIAL
POLICIES SUCH AS LOW TAX RATE AND FREE TRADE.
MODERATES (OR MORE ACCURATELY QUOTE MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD UNQUOTE GROUPS)
9. UP UNTIL MID-1990, THE PROGRESSIVE HONG KONG SOCIETY HAS BEEN THE LEADING MODERATE FORCE IN THE TERRITORY. THE SOCIETY HAS NOW BEEN VIRTUALLY ABSORBED INTO THE LDF. THIS REFLECTS THE
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