ROYAKM (3)
(C) PROVISIONS OF BASIC LAW ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT: DO THE
PROPOSALS IN ANNEXES 1 AND 2 TO THE BASIC LAW MATCH THE UNDERTAKINGS
IN THE JOINT DECLARATION? DO THEY GO FAR ENOUGH?
-
Annexes 1 and 2 to the draft Basic Law provide for the selection of the Chief Executive and the formation of the Special Administrative Region legislature. The Joint Declaration provided that "the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be selected by election or through consultations held
locally and be appointed by the Central People's Government". also provides that the legislature of the Special Adminsitrative
Region shall be constituted by elections. I believe that the draft Basic Law is consistent with these provisions.
Articles 45 and 67 of the second draft of the Basic Law provide
that the ultimate objective is to elect the Chief Executive and
entire Legislature through general elections, or universal suffrage.
We welcome this. Pace of development towards this ultimate
objective is now the focus of debate in Hong Kong, namely when full
direct elections should be introduced and whether this should be
alternative of subject to referendum.
5.
Some
No consesus has yet emerged in Hong Kong on these issues.
people regard the provisions in the draft Basic Law as adequate, and welcome the idea of referenda as a sensible way of testing opinion in Hong Kong. But others in Hong Kong view the requirement for holding referenda, and particularly the pre-conditions attached to such referenda, as a means of delaying progress towards universal
suffrage. Some people also argued that the introduction of
universal suffrage in Hong Kong should be brought forward to 2007, rather than 2011 and 2012 as is now envisaged for the legislature
and the Chief Executive.
Consultation on the second draft of the Basic Law is now
underway. (As you will see from the introducton (paragraph 9) to
the volume of reference papers published by Basic Law Consultative
Committee. Mr Ji Pengfei, Chairman of the Basic Law Drafting
Committee has indicated that certain provisions, particularly those
regarding selection of the Chief Executive and formation of the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.