TNAG-1687-FCO40-2337-Hong-Kong-legislation-regarding-the-control-of-publications--1987 — Page 184

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OCCASIONS THE PRESIDENT HAD TO CALL THE GALLERIES TO ORDER. FROM THE FLOOR MEMBERS SPOKE WITH GREAT CONVICTION, ACHIEVING A HIGH STANDARD OF ORATORY IN MANY CASES. SZETO WAH'S SPEECH WAS POSIT- IVELY DEMAGOGIC. MOST UNUSUALLY FOR HONG KONG, MANY OF THE SPEECHES WERE UNSCRIPTED. IN THE COMMITTEE STAGE, MARTIN LEE SPOKE FOR 75 MINUTES ON THE BASIS OF ROUGH NOTES. HIS SPEECH ON THIS OCCASION WAS IN THE FASHION OF COURT ADVOCACY RATHER THAN

THAT OF A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, AND HIS HIGHLY LEGALISTIC ARGUMENTS PROVED DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. JUDGED OBJECTIVELY, THIS WAS A GOOD

DEBATE.

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6. WE HAVE IN THIS DEBATE SEEN THE FURTHER EMERGENCE OF AN

OPPOSITION CAUCUS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MARTIN LEE AND COMPRISING

ALSO A NUCLEUS OF OTHER ELECTED MEMBERS (RICHARD LAI, CONRAD LAM, DESMOND LEE YU-TAI, HUI YIN-FAT AND SZETO WAH). HOWEVER, THERE WERE ALSO UNUSUAL ALLIANCES: DAVID LI AND K C CHAN SIDED WITH MARTIN LEE, WHILE STEPHEN CHEONG FACED TWO WAYS AT ONCE BY SPEAKING FOR AND AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SAME SPEECH. THERE WERE ALSO

INTERESTING SWITCHES WITH SOME MEMBERS VOTING AGAINST THE SECOND

READING BUT SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT AMENDMENT AT THE COMMITTEE

STAGE. AS VOTES ARE TAKEN BY VOICE, THERE IS NO RECORDING OF THEM.

HOWEVER, WE ESTIMATE THAT OF THE 11 FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY MEMBERS PRESENT, SIX VOTED AGAINST THE SECOND READING OF THE BILL AND FIVE SUPPORTED IT: OF THE 12 ELECTORAL COLLEGE MEMBERS, SIX VOTED FOR THE BILL, FIVE GAINST AND ONE ABSTAINED: AND OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS, ONE VOTED AGAINST THE SECOND READING.

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FOLLOWING THE DEBATE, EMOTIONS HAVE CONTINUED TO RUN HIGH. THE MEDIA HAVE CONTINUED TO TREAT THE ISSUE IN AN EXAGGERATED AND ALMOST HYSTERICAL WAY: FOR EXAMPLE, THE HONG KONG DAILY NEWS GAVE OVER ITS NORMAL EDITORIAL SPACE TO THE SINGLE SENTENCE ''PRESS

FREEDOM IS DEAD''. WE CAN ALSO EXPECT THE CREDIBILITY, OF THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE BILL TO BE ATTACKED. AN EARLY EXAMPLE IS A

PICTURE OF THE CHAMBER IN YESTERDAY'S MING PAO IN WHICH COUNCILLORS WHO SUPPORTED THE BILL WERE IDENTIFIED IN A PHOTOGRAPH OF LEGCO WITH A CAPTION THAT THEY HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR RESTRICTING

PRESS FREEDOM. MUCH WILL NO DOUBT ALSO BE MADE OF THE FACT THAT

ALL THE APPOINTED MEMBERS SAVE ONE VOTED WITH THE GOVERNMENT.

8. THE MEDIA, PARTICULARLY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MEDIA, CAN BE EXPECTED TO GIVE THE ISSUE CONTINUED PROMINENCE AND POSSIBLE TO

USE THEIR INTERNATIONAL LINKS TO TRY TO WIDEN THE DEBATE. WE CAN CONFIRM THAT THE HONG KONG JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION IS PLANNING TO

SEND A DELEGATION TO LONDON TO LOBBY FOR THE BILLS' DISALLOWANCE (YOUR TELNO 756 REFERS). THEY WILL NO DOUBT CONTACT SYMPATHETIC MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

9. THE GENERAL PUBLIC WILL, WE SUSPECT, LOSE INTEREST IN THE ISSUE NOW THAT THE BILL HAS BEEN PASSED. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE ONE-SIDED PRESENTATION OF THE ARGUMENTS BY THE MEDIA, TO WHICH WE

DO NOT HAVE ACCESS, THERE IS CONSIDERABLE MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION. IN PARTICULAR, FEW PEOPLE APPRECIATE THAT,

FAR FROM NEW MEASURES BEING INTRODUCED TO ''GAG' THE PRESS, THE

GOVERNMENT HAS ACTUALLY REPEALED A NUMBER OF FAR MORE DRASTIC AND

LONG-STANDING PROVISIONS.CONFIDENTIAL-

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