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10/56
84
MDLIAN
HAD STRONGLY CRITICISED THE UNILATERAL MOVE BY BRITAIN TO
INTRODUCE THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE WHILE LABOUR MPS SAID THAT AS THE LEGISLATION HAD BEEN PASSED BY PARLIAMENT, THE LABOUR PARTY WOULD HONOUR IT IF IT CAME TO POWER LATER. THE HK STANDARD (16.8) SAID ZHOU EXPRESSED REGRET AT THE LABOUR PARTY'S STANCE ON
HONOURING THE PACKAGE.
1991 ELECTIONS
5. THE MEDIA (15.8) ACCORDED GOOD COVERAGE TO THE LAUNCHING OF A VOTER REGISTRATION EXERCISE FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S THREE-TIER ELECTIONS. THE MASSIVE PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN WAS AIMED AT URGING 2.1 MILLION ELIGIBLE VOTERS TO REGISTER DURING THE EXERCISE. THE HK STANDARD (15.8) SAID THAT CHINA HAD GIVEN UNPRECEDENTED SUPPORT FOR THE VOTER REGISTRATION EXERCISE, WHICH WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST DIRECT ELECTIONS TO LEGCO. IT NOTED THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE BANK OF CHINA GROUP HAD AGREED TO HELP DISTRIBUTE REGISTRATION FORMS DURING THE CAMPAIGN. ANOTHER INDICATION OF PEKING'S SUPPORT CAME IN THE FORM OF A SPECIAL MEETING PLANNED BY THE PRO-CHINA HK FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS TO HELP ITS MEMBERS GET REGISTERED AS VOTERS, IT ADDED.
6. MOVES TO OPEN UP THE WORKINGS OF EXCO WERE GAINING SUPPORT AMONG LEADING COUNCILLORS, THE HK STANDARD (20.8) REPORTED. THE PAPER SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS NOW REVIEWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXCO AND LEGCO TO FIND WAYS TO ENSURE THAT IT WOULD GAIN SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR ITS LEGISLATION. SENIOR LEGCO MEMBER ALLEN LEE AND OMELCO MEMBER RITA FAN SAID THAT ONE WAY OF DOING THIS WAS TO GIVE EXCO MEMBERS MORE FREEDOM TO EXPLAIN GOVERNMENT
POLICIES TO LEGISLATORS.
SINO-BRITISH
RELATIONS
7. ZHOU NAN SAID IN MACAU THAT DESPITE SOME PROBLEMS FACING HK AT THE MOMENT, HE WAS STILL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ITS FUTURE, THE MEDIA
(19.8) REPORTED IN GOOD COVERAGE. HE BELIEVED THAT THE PROBLEMATIC PERIOD WOULD ONLY BE TEMPORARY AND THAT SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS WERE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. A FORMER SECRETARY FOR GENERAL DUTIES, LEWIS DAVIES, HAD BEEN ASKED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO UNDERTAKE A STUDY OF THE SINO-BRITISH NEGOTIATIONS ON HK'S FUTURE. THE STUDY WOULD SERVE AS A REFERENCE FOR FORMULATING POLICIES, RTHK AND THE PAPERS (15.8) REPORTED. ACCORDING TO A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, MR DAVIES WOULD START HIS WORK IN OCTOBER TO PUT TOGETHER AN ACCOUNT OF THE TALKS FROM THE HK PERSPECTIVE.
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