TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 126

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PART ONE OF TWO

OUR TELNO 297 : DEBATE ON HONG KONG : MEDIA COVERAGE

THE HONG KONG MEDIA CONTINUED TO ACCORD EXTENSIVE COVERAGE ON

22 AND 23 JANUARY TO REPORTS AND COMMENTS ON THE DEBATE.

2. SEVERAL CHINESE PAPERS AND RADIO AND TV PROGRAMMES REPORTED

FURTHER ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S SPEECH, AND HIGHLIGHTED HIS REMARK THAT A TIMETABLE SHOULD BE SET FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT

ELECTIONS IN HK. THE PAPERS ALSO REPORTED REMARKS BY THE CHIEF

SECRETARY, WHO HAD SAID ON 21 JANUARY THAT THE DEBATE DEMONSTRATED

THE INTEREST THAT PARLIAMENT TOOK IN HK AFFAIRS.

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3. SIR S.Y CHUNG WAS REPORTEDLY UNHAPPY THAT THE DIRECT ELECTIONS CONTROVERSY HAD OVERSHADOWED OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES. COMMENTS BY

SOME LEGCO MEMBERS WERE ALSO REPORTED. SELINA CHOW SAID THE DEBATE

HAD GIVEN AN INDICATION OF WHAT WAS GOING TO BE IN THE WHITE PAPER.

SHE SAID THE DEBATE SHOWED THAT THERE WAS STILL A LOT OF INTEREST IN

HK IN BRITAIN. PETER POON DESCRIBED THE DEBATE AS USEFUL AND THOROUGH

HE WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED IF THE WHITE PAPER WOULD NOT SET OUT A

TIMETABLE FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS. HELMUT SOHMEN

SAID HE WAS ENCOURAGED TO SEE THE LEVEL OF INTEREST IN PARLIAMENT

IN HK AFFAIRS. ALTHOUGH THE DEBATE HAD NOT SOLVED THE ISSUE OF

DIRECT ELECTIONS, IT WAS NONETHELESS USEFUL. SZETO WAH SAID THAT

THE SPEECHES BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE CONTAINED NO NEW IDEAS. HE

AND HUI YIN FAT SAID THAT THE INCLUSION OF A TIMETABLE FOR THE

INTRODUCTION OF

DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE WHITE PAPER WAS A GOOD

PROPOSAL AS IT COULD BOOST HK PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE. STEPHEN CHEONG

FELT THAT SIR GEOFFREY'S SPEECHES WERE IN LINE WITH THE STAND OF THE

HK AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS OF ADHERING TO THE JOINT DECLARATION AND

DOING THINGS IN THE LONG-TERM INTERESTS OF THE TERRITORY RITA FAN

SAID THAT IF THE WHITE PAPER DID NOT PROVIDE FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS

THIS YEAR, IT MUST ATLEAST CONTAIN SOME TIMETABLE FOR THEIR INTRODUCTION. HO SAI-CHU DESCRIBED SIR GEOFFREY'S SPEECH AS ''A VERY

GOOD ONE'' AS IT STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF PEKING TO THE LONG-TERM

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