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INFO PRIORITY PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: PRESS REPORTS
LEGCO PANEL
1.
THE PAPERS REPORTED THAT DISCUSSIONS AT YESTERDAY'S LEGCO PANEL MEETING WERE FOCUSED ON THE LOWERING OF THE VOTING AGE AND ELECTORAL MALPRACTICES. PRO-CHINA LEGISLATOR AND DAB MEMBER TAM YIU CHUNG SAID THAT IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE LEGCO PANEL TO DISCUSS CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS. HE ATTENDED THE MEETING ONLY BECAUSE ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE WAS ON THE AGENDA AND THAT HE WOULD NOT BE PRESENT FOR ANY FUTURE DISCUSSIONS ON THE 1994/95
ELECTIONS.
ZHANG
2. CRITICISM OF LEGCO PANEL'S DISCUSSION AS A PETTY TRICK BY NCNA VICE-DIRECTOR ZHANG JUNSHENG WAS REPORTED IN MANY NEWSPAPERS TODAY. HE QUERIED THAT IF SUCH DISCUSSIONS WERE QUOTE MEANINGLESS UNQUOTE, WHY SHOULD THY TAKE PLACE AT ALL. SAID THAT LEGCO AS ESTABLISHED UNDER THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS AND THE LETTERS PATENT WAS THE GOVERNOR'S LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY BODY. IT WAS NOT A QUOTE FREE FORUM UNQUOTE AND THEREFORE THE QUESTION OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH SHOULD NOT ARISE. INDEED LEGCO IN ARGUING THAT IT HAD THE RIGHT TO FREELY DISCUSS THE BEC BILL WAS DEGRADING ITSELF INTO AN ORDINARY FREE FORUM,
3. UPON ENQUIRY BY THE PRESS, ZHANG SAID THAT CHINA HAD FULLY CONSIDERED THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY HK PEOPLE ON THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS. HE ADDED THAT THE BASIC LAW, WHICH LAY DOWN RELEVANT ELECTORAL PROVISIONS, HAD UNDERGONE EXTENSIVE CONSULTATION IN HONG KONG. WEN WEI PO HIGHLIGHTED ZHANG'S REMARKS THAT A GOOD ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BE CREATED FOR THE ON-GOING CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS.
4. IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT, GUO FENGMIN ALSO LASHED OUT AT THE BRITISH SIDE ACCUSING THE LATTER OF ENGAGING IN PETTY TRICKS WHICH CREATED OBSTACLES FOR THE POLITICAL TALKS. ON THE DATE OF THE NEXT JLG MEETING, GUO SAID THAT IT WAS UNDER DISCUSSION
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