CONFIDENTIAL
036435 MDHIAN 3274
REMARKS BY LI HOU
11. LI HOU SAID THAT THE MAINSTREAM MODEL HAD TAKEN ACCOUNT OF THE MERITS OF ALL THE SUGGESTED MODELS. THE INCLUSION OF THE GEC ELEMENT AND SEPARATE VOTING WAS AIMED AT ENSURING STABILITY. THE
MADE ARRANGEMENTS PROPOSED FOR THE GEC ELEMENT WERE A CONCESSION
TO FACILITATE CONVERGENCE, AS IT COULD BE IN PLACE BEFORE 1997. HE FURTHER SAID THAT THE CHINESE HAD MADE THEIR OWN EFFORTS, WHETHER THE CHINESE AND BRITISH SIDES WOULD REACH AN AGREEMENT WOULD DEPEND ON THE BRITISH.
12.
ON THE NATIONALITY RESTRICTION ON LEGCO MEMBERSHIP, LI CONCEDED THAT IT WAS DIRECTED AT THE UK NATIONALITY PACKAGE SEMI COLON BUT SAID SUCH A RESTRICTION WOULD NOT CONTRAVENE THE JD.
REACTION OF LOCAL DRAFTERS
13. LOCAL DRAFTERS REACTED STRONGLY AFTER THE MEETING. HONG KONG CO-CONVENOR RAYMOND WU REFUSED TO ATTEND THE POST-MEETING PRESS CONFERENCE WITH HIS COUNTERPART XIAO WEIYUN. FOUR HONG KONG DRAFTERS, WU, MARIA TAM, WONG PO-YAN AND CHA CHI-MIN, IN AN UNUSUAL JOINT BRIEFING TO THE PRESS, SAID THAT THEY WERE DISSATISFIED WITH THE DECISIONS AND WOULD PROPOSE AMENDMENTS AT BLDC IX. WU VOICED IN A PREPARED STATEMENT HIS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE MEETING AND HINTED THAT THE MODEL HAD BEEN IMPOSED ON THEM BY THE CHINESE SIDE. MARIA TAM SAID THEY HOPED THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP WOULD LISTEN TO THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE AND THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN SHOULD COOPERATE FOR A CONVERGENCE. SHE FELT THAT SOME OF THE PROPOSALS OF THE SPECIAL GROUP WOULD NOT HELP SMOOTH CONVERGENCE. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT NONE DREW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT NONE DREW ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT NONE OF THEIR ALTERNATIVE MODELS PROPOSED MORE THAN 18 DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS FOR 1997 OR MORE THAN 40 PER CENT FOR 1999.
REACTION OF LOCAL GROUPS
14.
THE PROPOSALS OF THE SPECIAL GROUP SPARKED OFF HARD-HITTING CRITICISMS FROM THE BPG AND THE LIBERALS. VINCENT LO SAID HE WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE QUASI-BICAMERAL MODEL, WHICH WOULD SERIOUSLY UNDERMINE CONFIDENCE. THE BPG STRONGLY OBJECTED TO THE SEPARATE VOTING MECHANISM. LO, FELT THAT THE 18 DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE.
15.
YEUNG SUM OF THE G190 SAID HIS GROUP WAS VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE MODEL AND CALL ON HMG TO INSIST ON THE OMELCO CONSENSUS. REMARKS BY OTHER LIBERAL FIGURES LIKE SZETO WAH WERE EQUALLY
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