TNAG-1598-FCO40-2191-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 4

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16 DEC 1987

Taken

BASIC LAW : BLDC VI

DAY THREE : FORMATION OF FIRST SAR GOVERNMENT HONG KONG BLDC MEMBERS' COMMENTS ON THE 'THROUGH TRAIN'' APPROACH :

PRESS REPORTS

SUMMARY

''THROUGH TRAIN APPROACH

I

FIVE HONG KONG BLDC MEMBERS COMMENTED ON

ON THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST SARG. ALL HELD DIFFERENT VIEWS.

(A) MARTIN LEE

2. LEE SAID THAT THE PROBLEMS FACING HONG KONG WERE THE CONFIDENCE

OF ITS PEOPLE AND ITS STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. THE EXPRESSION OF

SOVEREIGNTY SHOULD NOT (NOT) BE EMPHASIZED AT THE EXPENSE OF THE

PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG.

·

3. HE SAID THAT THE MAINLAND MEMBERS PUT MUCH EMPHASIS ON THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY, WHICH INFACT HAD ALREADY BEEN RESOLVED AS BRITAIN WOULD RETURN HONG KONG TO CHINA IN 1997 THE SELECTION OF THE FIRST LEGISLATURE BY WAY OF ''THROUGH TRAIN WERE THE MAJORITY

VIEWS OF THE BLCC. THESE WERE PROPOSED IN THE FORMULAE PUT FORWARD

BY THE 'GROUP OF 80' AND THE ''GROUP OF 190'' AS 30 MEMBERS OUT OF THE 'GROUP OF 190'' WERE BLCC MEMBERS, THE TWO FORMULAE TOGETHER REPRESENTED THE VIEWS OF OVER HALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BLCC. THE PROPOSAL THAT THE FIRST CE SHOULD BE SELECTIED BY CONSULTATION AND THAT THE FIRST SAR LEGISLATURE SHOULD BE ELECTED BY GEC WOULD NOT (NOT) BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE BLCC: CONSEQUENTLY, THEY WOULD ALSO NOT BE ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE.

(B) WONG PO-YAN

4. WONG SAID THAT THE ''THROUGH TRAIN' APPROACH INVOLVED THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY. HE CONSIDERED THAT THERE WOULD NOT (NOT) BE MUCH CHANGE TO THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEGISLATURE BEFORE AND AFTER 1997, AND THAT THE DISSOLUTION OF THE ORIGINAL LEGISLATURE WAS MERELY A NORMAL ARRANGEMENT FOR THE TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY.

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