UNCLASSIFIED
0161,72
MDLIAN 4438
AND CHINA WAS GOING TO HAVE.
REPORTS NOTED MR CLINTON'S COMMENTS CAUSED CONCERN AMONG SOME LEGISLATORS. LEGISLATOR VINCENT CHENG DESCRIBED THIS AS AN INTERFERENCE' AND SAID THE POLITICAL IMPASSE BETWEEN THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS WOULD DETERIORATE IF MR CLINTON INSISTED TO GO AHEAD WITH HIS IDEA. MARTIN LEE SAID IT WAS A MATTER FOR HK PEOPLE AND HK SHOULD NOT DEPEND ON OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE THE US TO DECIDE ITS FATE. CHAIRMAN OF THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN HK GARETH CHENG BELIEVED MR CLINTON'S REMARKS SHOULD NOT BE INTERPRETED AS LINKING THE HK ISSUE WITH CHINESE MFN STATUS.
SURVEYS
14. ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS REPORTED (24.12) IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF EAST WEEK MAGAZINE, A POLL CONDUCTED BY THE HKU COVERING 1,348 PEOPLE INTERVIEWED BY TELEPHONE VOTED THE GOVERNOR AS 'MAN OF THE YEAR' FOLLOWED BY MARTIN LEE, LU PING, RITA FAN, ALLEN LEE AND CHRISTINE LOH. A HK STANDARD POLL COVERING 545 PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18-64 IN MID-DECEMBER SHOWED THE GOVERNOR'S APPROVAL RATING TO BE AT 63 PERCENT IN MID-DECEMBER (DOWN FROM 81 PERCENT AFTER HIS POLICY ADDRESS ON 7 OCTOBER).
15.
PAPERS NOTED (28.12) A POLL CONDUCTED AMONG CATHOLICS COVERING 1599 COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES SHOWED THAT 46 PERCENT SUPPORTED THE GOVERNOR'S POLITICAL PROPOSALS AND NEARLY 30 PERCENT REGARDED THE PACE FOR DEMOCRACY SHOULD BE FASTER THAN THAT PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNOR. AS REGARDS HOW TO RESOLVE THE CURRENT DISPUTE, 60 PERCENT THOUGHT BOTH SIDES SHOULD DECIDE ON THE POLITICAL REFORMS IN ACCORDANCE TO PUBLIC OPINION.
16. THE SCMP (27.12) NOTED IN GOOD COVERAGE RESULTS OF ITS END OF YEAR SURVEY COVERING 438 RESPONDENTS. 34 PERCENT SAID THE GOVERNOR SHOULD PUSH AHEAD WITH HIS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS EVEN IF IT MEANT SACRIFICING THE THROUGH TRAIN. THE PAPER NOTED THAT THE FIGURE REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE THE POLL TAKEN A MONTH EARLIER, AND SHOWED THOSE SURVEYED WERE UNAFFECTED BY PEKING'S SUBSEQUENT ATTACK AGAINST JARDINES, CONTAINER TERMINAL 9 AND CONTRACTS STRADDLING 1997. THE NUMBER OPPOSED TO POLITICAL REFORMS HAD RISEN ONLY FRACTIONALLY OVER THE PAST 4 WEEKS, UP FROM 48 PERCENT IN NOVEMBER TO 49 PERCENT IN THIS PRESENT SURVEY. 63 PERCENT SAID THE GOVERNOR SHOULD STAY EVEN IF HIS PROPOSALS WERE DEFEATED BY LEGCO AND 23 PERCENT SAID THE GOVERNOR SHOULD RESIGN, WHILE 14 PERCENT WERE UNSURE.
DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HK
5
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