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MDHIAN 8647
STILL FIRMLY OPPOSED TO THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL TO EXPAND THE
FRANCHISE OF THE FCS TO INCLUDE THE WHOLE WORKING POPULATION. QUOTING BRITISH SOURCES, THE PAPER SAID THAT THE BRITISH SIDE HAD DURING THE TALKS QUESTIONED WHETHER SOME OF THE NEW FCS SUGGESTED BY THE CHINESE SIDE, PARTICULARLY THE CHINESE ENTERPRISES ASSOCIATION, WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE DEFINITION OF A FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY. SEPARATELY, WHETHER AMCHAM AND THE JAPANESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE PROPOSED FC FOR FOREIGN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE WAS ALSO QUESTIONABLE. ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD ASK THE CHINESE SIDE TO CLARIFY HOW MEMBERS FROM THE FOUR SECTORS LAID DOWN IN THE BL WERE TO BE ELECTED. REGARDING THE THROUGH TRAIN, THE PAPER LEARNT THAT THE CHINESE SIDE HAD NO INTENTION OF MAKING A COMMITMENT AT THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS THAT LEGISLATORS ELECTED IN 1995 WHO MET ALL
OBJECTIVE CRITERIA COULD RIDE THE THROUGH TRAIN.
5. RETURNING FROM PEKING, THE HEUNG YEE KUK DELEGATION QUOTED LU PING AS SAYING THAT APPOINTED SEATS FOR THE DBS AND THE TWO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS SHOULD NOT BE ABOLISHED. LU ALSO SAID THAT THE PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE WOULD STUDY WHETHER AND HOW HONOURABLE TITLES SUCH AS JPS COULD STRADDLE 1997.
6. MANY PAPERS ALSO REPORTED DISCUSSIONS OF THE LEGCO CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PANEL ON FC ELECTIONS. IT WAS REPORTED THAT LEGISLATORS WERE DIVIDED ON WHETHER A 'ONE MAN ONE VOTE' OR A
'ONE MAN TWO VOTES' SYSTEM SHOULD BE ADOPTED. THE EXPRESS NOTED
THAT THE PANEL HAD ACHIEVED NOTHING AFTER FOUR ROUND OF DISCUSSIONS
ON POLITICAL REFORMS.
7. FURTHER TO HK COMMERCIAL DAILY'S CRITICISM ON THE GOVERNOR'S REMARKS ON 10.7.93 THAT HK COULD GO IT ALONE, WEN WEI PO REPLAYED THE SAME THEME TODAY AND LASHED OUT AT THE GOVERNOR FOR SAYING IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE GUARDIAN ON 7 JULY THAT HK COULD SURVIVE EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF A SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT ON THE POLITICAL
REFORMS. THE PAPER SAID THAT HK WOULD FACE POLITICAL CHAOS AND INVESTORS WOULD BE SCARED OFF IF NO AGREEMENT WAS REACHED. THE PAPER ALSO REPORTED THAT THE GOVERNOR, IN SAYING THAT HE WOULD NOT AGREE TO REACH A DEAL WITH CHINA WHICH WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO LEGCO, SHOWED THAT HE WAS STILL INSISTENT ON CHANGING THE PRESENT EXECUTIVE-LED GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE INTO A LEGISLATIVE-LED GOVERNMENT.
PREPARATORY WORKING COMMITTEE
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