THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1993
LET ME JUST GIVE THE COUNCIL TWO VERY SIMPLE EXAMPLES. THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION BILL WE THOUGHT IN THE ADMINISTRATION WAS TREMENDOUSLY UNCONTROVERSIAL IF YOU CAN BE TREMENDOUSLY UNCONTROVERSIAL, PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD ADMINISTRATIVE BILL THAT TOOK,
I THINK I AM RIGHT IN SAYING, FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS ΤΟ CLEAR THE COUNCIL. I AM NOT CRITICISING THE COUNCIL. I AM JUST SAYING THAT IS LEGISLATION IS A LENGTHY BUSINESS. WE KNOW THAT SOME BILLS, THERE ONE WHICH IS DEALING WITH THE TRIADS WHICH THE COUNCIL IS WORKING ON VERY HARD BUT HAS TAKEN A LOT LONGER THAN THAT. SO I DON'T THINK IF I WAS TO COME TO THE COUNCIL IN LATE JULY AND SAY YOU HAVE GOT TO CLEAR THIS
IT. IF BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE COUNCIL WOULD THANK ME FOR THE COUNCIL IS GOING TO GIVE ME THAT SORT OF GUARANTEE THAT IT CAN PASS ANY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT BILI, IN A MATTER OF HOURS OR WEEKS, IS THEN I'D LIKE IT IN WRITING, IN DUPLICATE. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT EITHER LIKELY OR IF I MAY SAY SO DESIRABLE, BECAUSE I THINK THIS COUNCIL REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY WILL WANT TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSALS FOR THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG WITH GREAT SERIOUSNESS IN A VERY VERY CONSTRUCTIVE WAY. SO TIME WILL PASS NEXT YEAR AS AND WE WILL ALL HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THAT, BUT AT LEAST WITH PROPOSALS I THINK WE HAVE GOT A LITTLE MORE TIME THAN WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN THE CASE.
AND
THIS THESE
OF
ME
MR HOWARD YOUNG: GOVERNOR, OF THE ISSUES YOU MENTIONED WHICH YOU INTEND TO GAZETTE NEXT WEEK, THERE IS THE VOTING METHOD, ABOLITION APPOINTED SEATS, AND THE NATIONAL PEOPLES' CONGRESS, IT APPEARS TO THAT SOME OF THESE ARE ISSUES WHERE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE AN AGREEMENT BUT THE WITHOUT SIGNING ONE, OR AT LEAST THERE IS NO DISAGREEMENT THAT IS NPC +
ABOLITION OF APPOINTED SEATS, AND ALSO THE VOTING AGE AND ALSO THE VOTING METHOD FOR THE MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BOARDS. NOW ON THE VOTING METHOD FOR LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT APPEARS TO ME TO BE AN ISSUE WHERE THERE IS NEITHER AGREEMENT NOR DISAGREEMENT, NOR VIOLENTLY OBJECTING POSITIONS, NOW WHAT COMPELLING REASON WAS THERE FOR YOU NOT TO SIGN AN INTERIM AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE WITHOUT PREJUDICE THAT COVERED ONLY THE
BOARDS,
WAY AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, TO LEAD THE
FOR
WITHOUT PREJUDICE. FURTHER CONSIDERATION
YOU DID MENTION JUST NOW THAT THE VOTING METHOD WOULD MEAN LEGISLATING TWICE, THAT WAS THE ONLY REASON YOU GAVE, BUT I THINK LEGISLATING TWICE, IF LEGISLATORS DON'T то DO MIND WORKING DOUBLY HARD, THAT IS NOT A COMPELLING REASON NOT SO.
DISTRICT
METHOD
CAN
ON THE QUESTION
I
THAT
THE
THE BOARDS, I BREAKTHROUGH
AS GOVERNOR:
I JUST MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE HONOURABLE MEMBER,
INTERIM SAID IN MY STATEMENT IT IS NOT TRUE TO SAY THAT ON ALL THESE
WE HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT ON EVERYTHING EXCEPT ISSUES
THE VOTING FOR LEGCO, WE HAVEN'T EITHER REACHED AN
AGREEMENT ACCEPTABLE
OF
OF APPOINTED MEMBERSHIP
DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, SO IT WOULD BE TRUER TO SAY THAT THE ONLY ISSUE ON ENTIRETY ON WHICH WE HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT, THE ONLY ISSUE IN ITS
TRUE IT'S WHICH WE HAVE REACHED AGREEMENT, IS THE VOTING AGE. THE CHINESE HAVEN'T RAISED OBJECTIONS TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND
THEIR VOTING, MUNICIPAL COUNCILS USING SINGLE SEATS SINGLE VOTE FOR BUT SINCE VIRTUALLY ALL OF THEM ACTUALLY USE THAT AT THE MOMENT, MUNICIPAL COUNCIL SEATS, AND TWO THIRDS OF THE DISTRICT DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE WOULD RATE THAT AS A SUBSTANTIAL OR A SUBSTANTIAL CONCESSION. BUT THERE ARE TWO ISSUES, TWO MAIN AREAS ALAS,
WHERE WE HAVEN'T YET REACHED A MEETING OF MINDS, THOUGH I SOME DIFFICULTY IN BELIEVING THAT THEY ARE MATTERS OF GREAT TO THE CHINESE SIDE. IT CERTAINLY CAN'T BE A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE THE CHINESE SIDE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH DISTRICT BOARD AND COUNCIL ISSUES
WELL AS LEGCO ISSUES, BECAUSE THEY ORIGINALLY PROPOSED AN ARRANGEMENT WHICH WAS GOING TO COVER BOTH LEGCO AND DB AND MC ISSUES, SO THERE CAN'T BE A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE THERE.
AS
HAVE PRINCIPLE
то
MUNICIPAL
/I THINK
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