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him, together with other senior leaders of political groupings, into a prominent consultative relationship with the Governor. It would be necessary to pitch any arrangements so they gave Martin Lee sufficient face as a substitute for inclusion in ExCo, but did not cause the Chinese to react too strongly for the opposite reasons. such machinery should also demonstrably not be a "parallel ExCo".
(ii) The Civil Service/LegCo
Any
The idea of LegCo Standing Committees to formalise the existing ad hoc system of LegCo scrutiny of Government business and to mirror the main branches of the Government was proposed last autumn by the United Democrats.
It was opposed by the traditionalists, and by the Chinese, who saw it as a move towards legislative-led Government. This issue is to be reconsidered at the end of July. Meanwhile the previous practice of Ad Hoc Bill Committees to scrutinise specific legislation continues.
- A committee arrangement, providing a forum for a regular dialogue between LegCo and the different Branches of the Administration might help the executive to get business through LegCo. It would be useful to distinguish it from the earler Select Committee idea in order to help get the traditionalists (and the Chinese) off the hook of their earlier opposition. (The idea might be more acceptable if they were called something like LegCo Special Groups).
(iii) ExCo/LegCo
The
- This is the most intractable relationship to change. two main political groups in Hong Kong, and the Chinese, are all dug into their trenches.
The aim would be to end the trench warfare by creating new machinery for ExCo/LegCo links so as to bring all groups into the decision-making process.
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