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Concerns about selection procedures for SARCE will be reflected
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Nicholas Ng, in the Legislative Council motion debate on "Political Platforms of the SAR Chief Executive Candidates" today (Wednesday):
Mr President,
The HKSAR Chief Executive (Designate) will be selected next month. As we all know, the Chinese Government and the SAR Preparatory Committee are responsible for devising the selection method for the Chief Executive, as well as for its implementation. As stipulated in the Basic Law, the first Chief Executive, once selected, will be reported to the Central People's Government for appointment.
As the first Chief Executive will be playing a crucial role in the formation of the SAR and the SAR Government, it is perfectly natural that the community is concerned about the selection procedures for the Chief Executive as well as the candidates' platforms. It will not be appropriate for the Administration to comment on the selection arrangements. But we share the community's expectation that the selection process should be open, fair, and transparent; and that the candidate chosen is able to command confidence and respect both locally and overseas. We would continue to reflect the community's expectation to the Chinese side at every available opportunity. In this connection, Chinese officials have also, on many occasions, stressed that the Chief Executive should uphold the principle of "one country, two systems" and be acceptable to all sectors of the community.
Mr Lee's motion advocates election of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage. The method for selecting the Chief Executive is prescribed in the Basic Law and the Decision of the National People's Congress on 4 April 1990. Implementation of these provisions is a matter for the Chinese side and the future HKSAR Government. I would, therefore, only want to state a point of fact here: Article 45 of the Basic Law provides that "the ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures".