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Statement by the Governor
The following is a statement by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, on the Preparatory Committee's decision to set up a provisional legislature :
"This is a black day for democracy in Hong Kong. At a time when democracy is moving forward all over the Asian region, a Chinese Government-appointed body of Chinese Government officials and hand-picked Hong Kong advisers has voted to tear down a legislature which was freely, fairly and openly elected by the people of Hong Kong in the most democratic election in our history.
"Hong Kong will salute the member who voted against this proposal. The announcement that Mr Frederick Fung Kin-kee will now be disqualified from membership of the Selection Committee and from sitting on the provisional legislature speaks volumes about the Preparatory Committee, the aims of Chinese officials and the role of the provisional legislature with which Hong Kong is threatened.
"It is for the Chinese Government now to explain how today's decision squares with their obligations under the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law to develop the institutions of representative government in Hong Kong. There is no justification for any provisional legislature. No such arrangement is mentioned in the Joint
Declaration or the Basic Law.
"There is deep scepticism in Hong Kong and the world at large about the Chinese Government's motives behind this decision, and a strong feeling that the real intention is to reduce the number of democrats in the legislature, and specifically to exclude the participation of individual members whose political views are unacceptable to them. They will need to convince the world that this is not so.'
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