THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO PRESS FOR A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION OF THEIR
THREE REQUESTS.
LEGCO UNOFFICIAL ANDREW WONG SAID UMELCO MEMBERS DID NOT WANT TO
AGGRAVATE THE SITUATION AND THIS WAS SHY THEY DID NOT PRESS TOO
HARD FOR THEIR DEMANDS TO BE MET. THEY OFFICIALLY ''WELCOMED''
MR RENTON'S ASSURANCES SO THAT WHAT HE HAD SAID WOULD HAVE A GREATER
BENDING AFFECT.
UMELCO MEMBERS WHO COMMENTED ON MR RENTON'S REPLIES TO QUESTIONS
RELATING TO POLITICAL REFORMS WERE GENERALLY UNHAPPY, SAYING THAT
MR RENTON HAD DODGED THE MAIN ISSUES. AMONG THEM, MARTIN LEE SAID
MR RENTON ONLY SAID WHAT HE WANTED TO SAY AND THEN USED
''HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS'' AS AN EXCUSE TO EVADE QUESTIONS WHICH
HE DID NOT WANT TO ANWSWER.
POON CHIEFAN SHARED THIS WIEW AND SAID MR RENTON SHOULD HAVE
GIVEN A BETTER EXPLANATION ON HIS EARLIER REMARKS THAT POLITICAL
REFORMS AND THE BASIC LAW SHOULD CONVERGE.
SZETO WAH SAID THE QUESTION OF WHETHER ONE SIDE WOULD MAKE
COMPROMISE TO ENSURE CONVERGENCE WAS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION WHICH
MUST BE MADE CLEAR.
ANOTHER LEGCO UNOFFICIAL, HO SA-CHU, ALSO A CPPCC MEMBER, SAID
HT WAS LIKELY THAT BRITAIN AND CHINA MIGHT HAVE REACHED AN
AGREEMENT ON HK'S POLITICAL REFORMS AND THE QUESTION OF DIRECT
ELECTIONS BY 1987.
CENTRAL AND WESTERN DB CHAIRMAN VINCENT KO SAND BRITAIN WAS
MRRESPONSIBLE IN THE SENSE THAT IT INITIATED THE REPRESENTATIVE
SYSTEM HERE BUT WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS FACED WITH A TESTING MOMENT
ST WANTED TO WASH ITS HANDS OF THE MATTER.
ON THE NATIONALITY ISSUE, PROFESSOR PETER HARRIS OF HKU TOLD
RADIO-3 THAT SOME MINOR CONCESSIONS HAD BEEN MADE BY THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT AS A RESULT OF LEGCO'S STRONG STAND. HOWEVER, HE WARNED
OF MORE STORMY WEATHER AHEAD WHILE THE PROMISES WERE BEING
TRANSFORMED INTO ACTUALITY.
THE COUNCIL OF INDIAN ASSOCIATIONS SAID IN A STATEMENT THEY WERE
ENCOURAGED THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WAS KEEPING THE NATIONALITY
ISSUE OPEN. THEY URGED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO RECONSIDER THE
MINORITIES' REQUEST AND FULFIL ITS OBLIGATION TOWARDS THEM.
MR SZETO WAH FELT THAT WHAT MR RENTON HAD SAID SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN
AS TO MEAN THAT BRITAIN WOULD ACCEPT UMELCO'S REQUESTS. HE SAID
UMELCO SHOULD KEEP UP THE FIGHT AND THERE MUST BE NO LET-UP.
HIS LEGCO COLLEAGUE, DESMOND LEE, SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT GO AHEAD WITH PLANS FOR CALLING ON HK PEOPLE TO BOYCOTT THE BN (0) PASSPORT IF BRITAIN WOULD ACCEPT ANY ONE OF THE THREE REQUESTS
MADE BY LEGCO.
/ AN
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