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LORD HOWE'S VISIT TO PEKING: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN
HONG KONG
Background
1.
In his LegCo address on 7 October the Governor announced
a number of political developments to take place immediately
and made a number of proposals for the 1995 Legislative Council (LegCo).
2.
The measures to take place immediately included removing
LegCo members from the Executive Council (ExCo), standing
down as President of LegCo, and establishing a Government
LegCo Committee (since shelved at the suggestion of LegCo).
3. The proposals for the 1995 elections included lowering
the voting age to 18, returning members from geographical constituencies by a single vote, single seat system,
extending the franchises for the functional constituencies so
that the existing constituences and the 9 new ones issued a vote for each economically active person in Hong Kong, making district boards directly elected and that district board
members should form the Election Committee which will elect
10 members of LegCo in 1995.
4. The Chinese have reacted strongly and negatively to these
proposals. They have maintained a massive propaganda campaign in Hong Kong against them and the Governor personally. The Chinese principal objections concern the
extension of the functional constituencies franchise and the
Election Committee. They have charged that the Governor's proposals are inconsistent with the Joint Declaration, the
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