TNAG-1749-FCO40-2468-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 68

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076237 MDHIAN 1786

ARRANGED FOR THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS TO MEET CONOMICS SCHOLARS AND KEY FIGURES IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR. THE MAINLAND DRAFTERS MIGHT WISH TO ENLIST THESE CONOMISTS' SUPPORT IN ENGINEERING A REVISION

OF RESTRICTIVE BL PROVISIONS IN CHAPTER V CONCERNING BALANCED

BUDGET AND LOW TAX POLICY IN OTHER AREAS, HOWEVER, IT WAS LESS CLEAR, AT LEAST AT THIS STAGE, HOW FAR THE CHINESE ARE PREPARED TO GIVE IN TO PUBLIC PRESSURES IN HONG KONG.

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5. AS THE CONSULTATION EXERCISE ENTERED ITS SECOND MONTH, THE INEFFICIENCY OF THE BLCC SECRETARIAT BEGAN TO SHOW. IT WAS WIDELY

THOUGHT THAT THE BLCC SECRETARIAT HAD FAILED TO GENERATE PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE DRAFT BL IN SPITE OF ITS CLAIM THAT SOME 800,000

COPIES OF THE DRAFT HAD BEEN DISTRIBUTED. THERE WERE ALSO COMPLAINTS

THAT IT FAILED TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES ORGANISED BY LOCAL GROUPS DESPITE PRIOR PROMISES. MANY COMMUNITY

ORGANISATIONS AND PRESSURE GROUPS, E.G. THE HK FEDERATION OF EDUCTION WORKERS, THE ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND PEOPLE'S

LIVELIHOOD AND THE JOINT CONFERENCE OF CHRISTIANS ON THE REACTION TO THE BL HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO PUBLICISE THE DRAFT AND

COLLECT PUBLIC OPINIONS FOR BLCC. THERE CONTINUED TO BE CALLS FOR

OPINION POLLS IN ORDER TO CANVASS THE VIEWS OF THE SILENT MAJORITY.

6. PRESS COMMENTARIES WERE MOSTLY WRITTEN BY A HANDFUL OF POLITICAL

COMMENTATORS AND LAWYERS. ONE OF THE COMMON THEMES WAS THAT THE ''ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS'' CONCEPT WAS UNDER THREAT DUE TO THE

CPG'S UNWILLINGNESS TO DELEGATE ITS AUTHORITY TO THE SAR. ART 16-18 AND 169 WERE FREQUENTLY QUOTED TO ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT. IT WAS ARGUED THAT TO BOOST CONFIDENCE, THE CPG SHOULD RESTRAIN ITSELF IN EXERCISING ITS SOVEREIGN RIGHTS, E.G. THE NPC STANDING COMMITEE SHOULD DELEGATE ITS POWER TO INTERPRET THOSE BL ARTICLES FALLING WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE SAR'S AUTONOMY TO THE SAR'S COURT OF

FINAL APPEAL. IT WAS ALSO PROPOSED THAT AMBIGUOUS PHRASES SUCH AS

GIVE EXPRESSION TO NATIONAL UNITY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

IN ARTICLE 17, ''THE EXECUTIVE ACTS OF THE CPG'' IN ARTICLE 18 AND

UNDERMINE NATIONAL UNITY OR SUBVERT THE CPG'' IN ARTICLE 22 SHOULD

BE CLARIFIED OR DELETED.

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7 THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST SARG EMERGED AS A SUBJECT OF DEBATE.

THE PUBLIC SEEMED TO HAVE GRASPED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FIRST SARG IN LAYING DOWN THE COURSE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUTURE

POLITICAL SYSTEM. THE PROPOSED PREPARATORY COMMITTEE WAS VIEWED

WITH SUSPICION. THE SAME WAS TRUE FOR THE GEC CONCEPT. THERE WAS ALSO INCREASING CONCERN ABOUT NATIONALITY ISSUES, IN PARTICULAR WHETHER HK PEOPLE HOLDING FOREIGN PASSPORTS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR

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