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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1993
IN
SAID THE
REPLY TO A QUESTION ON HIS POLITICAL PROPOSALS, MR PATTEN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WOULD GIVE HIM AND THE GOVERNMENT ITS ADVICE IN THE COMING WEEKS ABOUT THE PRECISE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS THAT SHOULD BE PUT TO THE LEGCO AFTER THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.
"THEY'VE ALREADY AGREED THAT WE SHOULD AT THE SAME TIME, OR PERHAPS BEFORE WE PUT LEGISLATION BEFORE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THAT WE SHOULD PUT FORWARD A COMPENDIUM OF ALL THE PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE BY INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.
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MEETING WITH POLITICAL GROUP LEADERS VALUABLE
*
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY (WEDNESDAY) SAID THAT THE GOVERNOR'S MEETING WITH LEADERS OF THE CO-OPERATIVE RESOURCES CENTRE (CRC) HAD BEEN VALUABLE AND CONSTRUCTIVE.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE ISSUES DISCUSSED WERE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, THE FORTHCOMING BUDGET, LOCALISATION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION.
THE CRC LEADERS
PRESENTED THEIR POSITION PAPER ON CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXPLAINED THAT AT THIS STAGE THEY WERE FOCUSING ON BROAD PRINCIPLES,
THEY SAID THEY WOULD BE PRESENTING THE DOCUMENT TO THE PRIME MINISTER WHEN THEY MET HIM ON JANUARY 19.
THE GOVERNOR SAID, IF THE CRC HAD DIFFICULTIES WITH WHAT HE HAD PROPOSED, HE HOPED THAT THEY WOULD DEVELOP THEIR OWN THINKING FROM THE LEVEL OF GENERAL PRINCIPLES TO SPECIFIC PROPOSALS ON ISSUES SUCH AS THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND THE ELECTION COMMITTEE.
HE
BELIEVED THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD ASK THE CRC IF THEY HAD ANY ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS IF THEY DID NOT AGREE WITH THE ONES WHICH THE GOVERNOR HAD PUT FORWARD.
ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE, THE GOVERNOR REPEATED THE POINTS HE MADE IN HIS ADDRESS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON OCTOBER 7, THAT IS, THAT THE ELECTORS OF THE ELECTION COMMITTEE SHOULD THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN ELECTED AND THAT THE SIMPLEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ACHIEVING THIS WOULD BE TO DRAW MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE MEMBERS FROM THE DIRECTLY ELECTED DISTRICT BOARDS.
HOWEVER, HE DID NOT PRECLUDE DRAWING SOME MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE FROM OTHER SOURCES, PROVIDED THEY TOO WERE ELECTED.
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