HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL -1 March 1990
香港立法局—————————一九九0年三月一日
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People's Congress to tag a "Made in China" label on the draft to complete the five-year historical mission.
Sir, in 1991, Hong Kong will be allowed to have 18 directly elected seats. The number will be increased to 20 in 1995 and legislators selected that year will be allowed to serve till 1999. Of the remaining 40 seats, 30 will be selected by functional constituencies while the remaining 10 will be chosen by an election committee to be set up by the Hong Kong Government.
This, Sir, is far short of what OMELCO recommended. Ironically too, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee of the British Parliament recommended an even faster formula.
Could we accept this with a clear conscience? Could we with hands on our hearts recommend this to the people of Hong Kong?
It has been hinted in this Council that objections to the Basic Law draft political model is based on emotions. Our honourable colleague, Mrs. Selina CHOW, said yesterday, and rightly so, that China had picked and chosen points that China liked from the views of Hong Kong people. Is it therefore simply emotions that draw Hong Kong people to deplore the undemocratic political model? Or is it simply out of the fact that they have been robbed of their basic rights?
Furthermore, a 20% restriction will be laid on the number of legislators holding foreign passports or the right of abode overseas.
It is on this aspect, Sir, that I would like to concentrate a little bit more, not because I have a right of abode elsewhere, or because I have any special soft spots for non-Chinese nationals, but simply because it is just not right; for many of these people stand for Hong Kong and for Hong Kong alone.
The Chinese authorities are believed to fear that an unlimited quota of foreign nationals in the legislature could lead to the internationalization of what they feel should be a primarily Chinese law-making body, and China would find it intolerable, after having made such strenuous efforts to resume the sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain, for its future legislature to be peppered with representatives with international interests.
They may also worry that foreign countries might grant passports to legislators solely to extend their influence in this territory.
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