CONFIDENTIAL
НКВ
auli
176442
MDHIAN 2678
1680
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 1147
OF 181230Z MARCH 88
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, HONG KONG GOVERNMNT OFFICE LONDON INFO IMMEDIATE HKGOS NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, GENEVA INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS GENEVA
INFO SAVING SAN FRANSICO (HKGO)
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT : LEGCO DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER
THE LEGCO DEBATE ON THE MOTION MOVED BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY (THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD TAKE NOTE OF THE PLANS AND INTENTIONS CONTAINED IN THE WHITE PAPER) TOOK PLACE ON THE AFTERNOONS OF 16 AND 17 MARCH. IT LASTED OVER 13 HOURS. 43 NON-OFFICIAL MEMBERS SPOKE ON THE MOTION: 35 IN FAVOUR AND EIGHT AGAINST. ONE APPOINTED MEMBER OPPOSED TO THE MOTION, K.C. CHAN, WALKED OUT. TWO AMENDMENTS WERE MOVED, ONE BY MARTIN LEE AND THE OTHER BY SZETO WAH. BOTH WERE SOUNDLY DEFEATED.
2. THE CHIEF SECRETARY OPENED BY SAYING THAT SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER, THE OVERALL REACTION HAD BEEN POSITIVE: THE BROAD JUDGMENT OF THE COMMUNITY WAS THAT THE MAIN THRUST OF THE WHITE PAPER WAS RIGHT AND MOST PEOPLE HAD AGREED THAT ARGUMENTS OF LAST YEAR SHOULD BE PUT ASIDE. ATTENTION SHOULD NOW BE TURNED TO THE TASK AHEAD. HE DEALT WITH THE ISSUES THAT HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MOST COMMENT SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER : THE PACE OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE TIMING OF INTRODUCING DIRECT ELECTIONS IN LEGCO: THE HEUNG YEE KUK: THE URBAN COUNCIL AND DISTRICT BOARDS RELATIONSHIP: AND THE REPLACEMENT OF THE DISTRICT-BASED ELECTORAL COLLEGE BY DIRECT ELECTIONS. THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THE MAIN ISSUES.
DIRECT ELECTIONS
3. MOST MEMBERS SUPPORTED THE PROPOSAL IN THE WHITE PAPER FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1991. THESE INCLUDED A NUMBER WHO HAD SPOKEN IN FAVOUR OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988 DURING THE DEBATE ON THE GREEN PAPER. THE SAID THAT THEY ACCEPTED THAT THE SHARP DIVISION OF PUBLIC OPINION ON THE TIMING OF DIRECT ELECTIONS JUSTIFIED DELAYING THEIR INTRODUCTION TO 1991. AN APPEAL BY LYDIA DUNN FOR MEMBERS TO STOP ARGUING OVER THE TIMING OF DIRECT ELECTIONS
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