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FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY FCO
TELNO 2700
OF 140439Z NOVEMBER 92
INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
ра
iq
052445
MDLIAN 5390
Chinese reactan
CORRECT VERSION (PARA 1 LINE TWO)
HKD PLEASE PASS COPY TO THE GOVERNOR VISITING
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: SUGGESTIONS ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS BY SAMUEL WONG
·
1. SCMP PUBLISHED TODAY (14 NOV) A LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM SAMUEL WONG (INDEPENDENT) LEGCO MEMBER FOR THE ENGINEERING CONSTITUENCY, PROPOSING ALTERNATIVES FOR THE 1995 FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY (FC) ELECTIONS. WONG GAVE THE FOLLOWING THREE REASONS FOR DISAGREEING WITH THE GOVERNOR'S PRESENT PROPOSALS ON FCS WHICH HE THOUGHT WERE AKIN TO GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCY
- ELECTIONS:
(I) VOTING RATE IN GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES WAS TOO LOW. TO TRY AN BUILD ON SUCH INSUBSTANTIAL VOTING PERFORMANCE WOULD MAKE A MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY IN HK. IT WOULD ALSO ENABLE CHINESE LEADERS TO CONCLUDE DEMOCRACY DID NOT WORK AND IMPOSE
ALTERNATIVES.
(II) FC'S WERE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT A FUNCTION, NOT A MEANS TO BROADEN PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. IF THE WHOLE DIVERSE RANGE OF WORKERS WAS LUMPED TOGETHER IN A PARTICULAR SECTOR, THE CANDIDATES WOULD BE CHOSEN PRIMARILY BY PARTY POLITICS, NOT AS FUNCTIONAL REPRESENTATIVES.
(III) CORDIAL RELATIONS WITH CHINA WERE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE AND WE SHOULD NOT MAKE CHINESE LEADERS FEEL THAT WE WERE TRYING
TO TRICK THEM.
2. WONG SAID THAT THE PROPOSED 9 NEW CONSTITUENCIES OVERLAPPED WITHIN THEMSELVES AND WITH THE EXISTING FC'S. ONE OF THE EXAMPLES HE CITED WAS THE NEW TEXTILES AND GARMENTS FC, WHICH HE FELT WAS WHOLLY CONTAINED IN THE NEW MANUFACTURING FC. THERE WAS ALSO THE EXISTING INDUSTRIAL FC WHICH ALREADY COVERED TEXTILES AND
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