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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 1985
HE SAID OVERLAPPING MEMBERSHIP WOULD FOSTER AN EFFECTIVE LINK BETWEEN THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND ENABLE MEMBERS TO FUNCTION MORE EFFICIENTLY.
ON THE EXISTING OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE QUEEN, DR HO SUGGESTED THAT IT SHOULD BE REPLACED BY AN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
+FURTHERMORE, THE EXISTING RULE BARRING MEMBERS OF FOREIGN COUNCILS FROM BEING MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED RIGIDLY TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS AND THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE CONFERENCE BECAUSE CHINA SHOULD NOT BE TREATED, STRICTLY SPEAKING, AS A FOREIGN STATE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.
CALL FOR AN EXPANDED LEGCO
***
A CALL FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO 60 MEMBERS IN 1988 WAS MADE BY THE HON ALLEN LEE.
AT THE SAME TIME, HE WARNED THAT ANY PRESSURE FROM BRITAIN TO SPEED UP DEMOCRATISATION AT THIS STAGE COULD HAVE DISASTROUS RESULTS.
SPEAKING TODAY AT THE LEGCO DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER, MR LEE COMMENTED ON THE FORMATION OF THIS YEAR'S LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE 1987 REVIEW, AN ELECTED LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM IN GENERAL.
ON THE 1985 LEGCO, MR LEE SAID, I HAVE ATTENDED QUITE A NUMBER OF FORUMS AND PUBLIC GATHERINGS SINCE PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. TO MY RECOLLECTION, NO ONE HAS SERIOUSLY COMMENTED ON THE PROPOSAL OF THE 1985 LEGCÓ FORMATION.
THE DISCUSSIONS WERE CONCENTRATED ON 1988 AND THE FUTURE ALONG WITH COMMENTS ON A SUGGESTED REVIEW IN 1989 AND THE GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM.
+TO MY SURPRISE, THE WHITE PAPER HAS PUSHED THE 1988 PROPOSAL TO 1985.+
MR LEE SAID HE HAD TRIED TO FIND REASONS FOR THE SPEEDING-UP OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. THE ONLY LOGICAL CONCLUSION HE COULD DRAW WAS THAT THIS WAS NOT DUE TO PUBLIC PRESSURE IN HONG KONG NOR THE CHINESE DEMAND TO SPEED-UP THE PROCESS.
/+IT COULD
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