THE DEBATE ON WHAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED HISTORY, THUS MAINTAINING A HIGHER LEVEL OF ANXIETY. HE ALSO REMINDED THE PUBLIC THAT THE HONG KONG COVERNMENT HAD ALREADY MADE QUITE A LOT OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC. ON THIS POINT, DR. HO KAM-FAI OBSERVED THAT THE PUBLIC WERE UNHAPPY THAT THE INFORMATION FROM THE AUTHORITIES HAD BEEN RELEASED IN A PIECEMEAL AND HAPHAZARD MANNER. HE SAID THAT THE PUBLIC WERE UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE.
4. MR. MARTIN LEE, AS EXPECTED, DELIVERED THE MOST SEARING SPEECH. WHILE HE WELCOMED THE MOTION MOVED BY MISS DUNN HE REGRETTED THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD REJECTED THE REQUEST FOR A SPECIAL DEBATE TO BE HELD FIVE WEEKS EARLIER, ON 10 SEPTEMBER, BEFORE THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACTS TOOK PLACE. IN HIS WORDS, MR. LEE SAID 'SIR, WITH THE PROFOUNDEST RESPECT TO YOU, I REGRET TO HAVE TO SAY THAT IN DECLINING TO EXERCISE YOUR POWERS UNDER STANDING ORDER 7A TO CALL FOR A SPECIAL MEETING DESPITE THE REQUEST OF 8 MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL TO DO SO, YOU WERE WRONG TO HAVE TAKEN SHELTER BEHIND THE MAJORITY DECISION OF MY COLLEAGUES WHICH HAD BEEN GENERATED BY THE GOVERNMENT'. HE CONTINUED TO INDICATE THAT THE GOVERNOR'S DECISION HAD BEEN INFLUENCED BY HIS OTHER CAPACITY AS HEAD OF THE EXECUTIVE.
5. MR. MARTIN LEE SUPPORTED THE MOTION WITH SOME RESERVATIONS. HE WARNED THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COMMERCIAL CONFIDENTIALITY LET-OUT CLAUSE IN THE MOTION AS AN EXCUSE FOR NOT PROVIDING RELEVANT DOCUMENTS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE ECONOMICS REPORT OF THE JOINT FEASIBILITY STUDY, THE LAZARD BROTHERS REPORT AND THE RELEVANT HARWELL REPORTS. HE THREATENED TO INVOKE THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (POWERS AND PRIVILEGES) ORDINANCE TO SEEK THE RELEASE OF THE RELEVANT DOCUMENTS. HE REJECTED THE ARGUMENT MADE BY SOME OTHER MEMBERS THAT THE INVOCATION OF THE ORDINANCE TO SEEK COMMERCIALLY SENSITIVE INFORMATION WOULD HAVE A DAMAGING EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY. HE CONCLUDED THAT TOO LITTLE HAD BEEN DONE IN THE COUNCIL FOR TOO LONG FOR TOO MANY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ON THE DAYA BAY ISSUE AND THE DEBATE MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TU BE DEGENERATED INTO YET ANOTHER STALLING EXERCISE. IN HIS SPEECH, MR. LEE ALSO REGRETTED THAT MISS DUNN HAD NOT CHIARED THE IN-HOUSE MEETING ON 3 SEPTEMBER. HE SUGGESTED THAT MEMBERS HAD NOT IN EFFECT BEEN ALLOWED A FREE VOTE AT THE MEETING BECAUSE MR. S.L. CHEN THEN PRODUCED A LETTER FROM THE ACTING GOVERNOR CONFIRMING THE GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO THE PROJECT.
6. MR. MARTIN LEE DREW A QUICK RESPONSE FROM MR. S.L. CHEN WHO STATED CATEGORICALLY THAT THE VOTING PROCEDURE AT THE IN-HOUSE MEETING WAS FREELY AND DEMOCRATICALLY CONDUCTED. HE REGRETTED THE SHADOW CASTED BY MR. LEE ON THE INTEGRITY OF THOSE OF HIS COLLEAGUES WHO HAPPENED TO DISAGREE WITH HIM. MR. CHEN WON THE SUPPORT FROM SEVERAL COUNCILLORS INCLUDING MR. STEPHEN CHEONG AND MR. ALLEN LEE WHO THEN KNUCLE-RAPPED THEIR TABLES. SEPARATELY, IN HIS PREPARED SPEECH ON THE ISSUE, MR. CHEN PLAYED UP THE POSITIVE REACTION BY CHINA TO THE PROPOSED SETTING UP OF AN ADVISORY / Committee
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