Mw.R Elections
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1993-05-07 09:10 INFORMATION SERVICES DEPT
BNO
852 521 7725 P.04
The papers generally reported that the BNO conversion programme was heatedly debated at a meeting of the Legco Sub-committee on Nationality yesterday. Convenor of the sub-committee Emily Lau was quoted as saying that the sub-commillee agreed to a phased conversion but was against the Government using legislative means to strip the right of residents who did not follow the time-table for changing their passports. The sub-committee planned to meet the Governor and petition London for the shelving of the programme, which was scheduled to start at the end of the year.
The papers noted that Exco had decided to go ahead with the programme on Tuesday after again considering Legco Members' views. The Acting S for S, Ken Woodhouse, told the sub-committee meeting yesterday that the British Government would propose the programme to Parliament in the form of a Privy Council order and Legco would have no right to amend that. Nevertheless, the Director of Immigration would have the right of discretion in accepting late applications. Mr Woodhouse stressed that the programme was to convenient residents and that there would be stepped up publicity"co-atell residents.
LEGCO MEMBERS' ALLOWANCE
A number of papers reported that FC would discuss at today's meeting a proposal to increase Leggo Members' allowance. They noted that the proposal would likely be passed as UDIIK, the Liberal Party preparatory committee and Meeting Point had indicated that they supported the fund allocation. Chim Pui-chung and Eric Li said they would consider casting an abstention vota at the FC meeting. In interviews with HK Economic Journal, most members said they would open more district offices and hire more assistants with the additional allowance. The Express' headlines asked if. : Leyso Members can decide raising their own salaries, while Oriental Daily noted that some members felt embarassed about the subject. Ming Pao carried a list on the expenditure of most Legco Members in the past seven months. The paper also quoted Deputy SCA Leung Chin-man as saying that the fund allocation was not intended to please Legco Members and that the proposed increase was based on statistics. Members also had to produce bills to claim the allowance. Sing Pao published a half-page special on the topic. comparing the proposed and existing allowances of councillors in the three tier system, and the survey on which the proposed increases were based. The paper also noted chat a Lezco group to study members' allowances also suggested pansion fund for members as well as free postage.
ELECTION COMMITTEE
Wah Kiu Yat Po quoted former BL drafter Xiao Weiyun as saying that he personally believed HK delegates to the NPC and CPPCC holding Chinese passports should not be a member of the Election Committee responsible for selecting 10 Legco Members in 1995. NPC delegate Liu Yiu-chu and CPPCC delegate Xu Ximin agreed that Chinese officials in HK should not take part in any elections here, but local NPC and CPPCC delegates who were not Peking officials should not be restricted.
LAURENCE LEUNG
Many papers reported that Director of Immigration Laurence Leung would lead a delegation to Peking on Sunday. Matters concerning immigration controls and the number of Chinese residents using two-way permits to HK woul. discussed. Oriental Daily reported that the chairman of the association of II mothers and the husbands of two II mothers would petition Chinese Minister of Public Securit Tao Xiju in Peking for expanding the daily quota on one-way permits issued.
OTHER MATTERS
A few papers quoted Sir S.Y. Chung as saying that he was optimistic about the Sino-British talks. He said the two sides could discuss the
arrangements for the 1994 and 1995 elections separately.
Some papers reported that Meeting Point members were unable to reach a consensus-on-thair-political development, blueprint at. a meeting yesterday.