HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 28 February 1990
香港立法局———————— 一九九0年二月二十八日
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give up, the moment we stop trying to realize our aspirations, that moment will be the end of Hong Kong.
Nor is it in the interest of this Council to accept meekly what we are offered. Indeed, if the Basic Law had offered only 16 directly elected seats in 1997 instead of 20, would Members' attitude of * be any different? Or 10 seats?
The duty of this Council is not just to advance a political model for discussion purposes only; rather, as the public's representatives, our duty is to attain what we believe is best for Hong Kong. If we were to give up our fight and abandon our own proposal, which the public has so strongly supported, the people of Hong Kong would question whether we have courage in our own convictions.
On the issues of both the right of abode and democracy, the OMELCO initially took on an impressive leadership role, thus earning widespread public support and credibility. But when the British Government announced the nationality package which represented less than 5% of what the OMELCO had asked for, we meekly told our people that they should nevertheless accept it, for fear that Britain might not even enact such a limited plan. Now the British Government has again come forward with a proposal that falls far short of our legitimate aspirations, will the OMELCO again betray the public's trust and "pragmatically" accept the British proposal?
But before we answer this question, let me pose a number of questions for honourable Members' consideration:
- Who proposed the OMELCO consensus model?
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Did the Chief Secretary, Sir David FORD, not welcome the OMELCO model immediately after its release to the public?
Who said that the OMELCO model was good for the people of Hong Kong and was in their interest?
Who commended the OMELCO model to the people of Hong Kong including our district boards?
Who went to the United Kingdom and told the British Government, the British Parliament and the British people that the OMELCO model was good for the people of Hong Kong and had their wide support?
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.