XN000022-1992-10-28 — Page 4

I

N

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1992

ON

VIEWS

"THEY REPRESENT OUR BEST EFFORTS TO BRING FORWARD PROPOSALS

OF ALL THE TAKING ACCOUNT THIS

SUBJECT VITALLY IMPORTANT EXPRESSED TO US, SIR DAVID SAID.

לו

A "SECRET ABOUT THE SECRETARY SAID THE EXCHANGES RELEVANT

ON SOME CONTROVERSY OVER THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER DEAL" WAS MADE BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS, THE CHIEF BRITISH

HAD JUST RELEASED BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES ON THIS ISSUE.

GOVERNMENT

ALL THE

LEGISLATIVE

HE ALSO STRESSED THAT NOTHING COULD TAKE AWAY FROM

A VIEW ON THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO TAKE LEGISLATION WHICH WAS PUT BEFORE THEM AND TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT SHOULD GO FORWARD.

"NO MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL WHETHER HE OR SHE BE

THAT INDIRECTLY ELECTED CAN SHIRK OR

APPOINTED

IT

ELECTED OR

RESPONSIBILITY.

"IT WOULD BE A SAD DAY INDEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRATIC

HE SAID. INSTITUTIONS IN HONG KONG IF MEMBERS TRIED TO OPT OUT,

HAVE

COUNCIL WOULD FULLY ELECTED THEIR

HE SAID UNDER THE PROPOSED PACKAGE, THE URBAN TAKEN NEARLY 22 YEARS TO DEVELOP FROM PARTIAL TO MEMBERSHIP. THE DISTRICT BOARDS, WOULD HAVE TAKEN 12 YEARS FROM INCEPTION TO BECOME FULLY ELECTED BODIES.

REGARDED

ON

AS

A

"HOW MEMBERS WILL EVER SUGGESTED THAT THE CURRENT PROPOSALS

BE THE

OR MUNICIPAL COUNCILS

DISTRICT BOARDS CAN HEADLONG RUSH TOWARDS DEMOCRACY," SIR DAVID SAID.

WAS IN

IN

HE ALSO SAID THE PROPOSAL FOR THE ELECTION COMMITTEE ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY AND OPENNESS DESCRIBED THE BASIC LAW.

ZZ

"I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE CRITICISM OF IT. IT IS, AFTER ALL, A NATURAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH APPLIED UP UNTIL 1991 WHEN 12 MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL WERE ELECTED BY DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE TWO MUNICIPAL COUNCILS," HE SAID.

TO 200-MEMBER ON A PROPOSAL TO HAVE HALF OF THE 100 COMMITTEE NOMINATED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND HALF BY THE GOVERNMENT, SIR DAVID ASKED:

ELECTION BRITISH

"HOW DOES SUCH A PROPOSAL SQUARE OPENNESS AND DEMOCRACY?

THE WITH

PRINCIPLES OF

OF THE "ARE MEMBERS REALLY SUGGESTING THAT THE CONSTITUTION

LESS POLITE PUT A ELECTION

SHOULD BE DESIGNED, OR TO COMMITTEE DESCRIPTION, RIGGED, TO ENSURE THAT PRE-SELECTED PEOPLE CAN HAVE THEIR CANDIDATURE RUBBER-STAMPED BY SUCH A COMMITTEE?

"IS THAT WHAT A SLOWER PACE OF DEMOCRACY WOULD ENTAIL?”

ON

CRITICISM ON FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY PROPOSALS,

SAID HE HAD THREE POINTS TO MAKE.

/FIRST, THE

SIR DAVID