UNCLASSIFIED
055204
MDLIAN 5734
THE BILL OF RIGHTS SHOULD HAVE SUPREMACY OVER OTHER HONG KONG LAWS, THE MEDIA (7.3) REPORTED. BAR ASSOCIATION CHAIRMAN ANTHONY ROGERS
SAID THAT THE BILL OF RIGHTS MUST BE SUPERIOR TO ORDINARY LAWS AND BE ENTRENCHED IN ORDER TO BE EFFECTIVE, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (7.3) REPORTED. A FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE ASSOCIATION, DENIS CHANG, TOLD THE SUNDAY MORNING POST (11.3) THAT IT WAS FEASIBLE TO
AMEND THE LETTERS PATENT SO AS TO ENTRENCH THE BILL. COMMENTING THESE PROPOSALS, HONG KONG DRAFTER SIMON LI HAD EARLIER INDICATED THAT THIS ARRANGEMENT WOULD NOT INFRINGE ON THE BL OR AFFECT CONVERGENCE, THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL (7.3) REPORTED. ANOTHER HONG KONG DRAFTER TAM YIU-CHUNG, SHARED THIS VIEWS, ADDING THAT HE BELIEVED THAT THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD NOT OPPOSE SUCH AN
ARRANGEMENT.
POLITICAL REFORMS IN 1991
10. THE GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING THE PROPOSAL OF LOWERING THE
VOTING AGE FROM THE PRESENT 21 TO 18 AND IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT WOULD BE MADE SHORTLY, SEVERAL PAPERS (13.3) REPORTED. THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE 1991 LEGCO ELECTIONS WOULD
BE A SUCCESS SO AS TO PERSUADE CHINA THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE READY FOR A FASTER PACE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT. SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD CONSIDER THE
QUESTION OF LOWERING THE VOTING AGE WHEN IT STUDY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1991 ELECTIONS, THE ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS (13.3) REPORTED.
11. THE HONG KONG STANDARD (12.3) SAID THAT BRITAIN HAD GIVEN HONG
KONG THE GO-AHEAD TO MAKE RADICAL CHANGES TO LEGCO IN 1991. THE
CONSENT FROM WHITEHALL WAS WON BY THE GOVERNOR DURING HIS VISIT THERE. QUOTING WHITEHALL SOURCES, THE PAPER SAID THAT BRITISH MINISTERS HAD ACCEPTED AN EXCO PLAN TO DIVIDE HONG KONG INTO NINE CONSTITUENCIES, EACH WAS A POPULATION OF ABOUT 600 000. A SENIOR WHITEHALL OFFICIAL SAID THAT THE TERRITORY WOULD BE SPLIT INTO NINE CONSTITUENCIES, EACH WITH TWO DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN 1991.
BASIC LAW
12.
THE HONG KONG FOUNDATION, IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF ITS NEWSLETTER, ENCOURAGED HONG KONG TO SUPPORT THE BL, SOME PAPERS
(9.3) REPORTED. IT STRESSED THAT THE ''ULTIMATE SOVEREIGN RIGHTS
BELONG TO CHINA AND THE BASIC LAW CANNOT BE A BULWARK AGAINST THE
EXERCISE BY CHINA OF ITS SOVEREIGN RIGHTS'! LI HOU SAID THAT CHINA
WOULD ABIDE BY THE SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BL IN
THE RUN-UP TO 1997 TO HELP BRITAIN MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S STABILITY
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