Mat means the rights of our citizens to choose freely who governs them. I wonder when was the last time that Mr. Major looked in his own backyard. Though the British continue to assert that it is no good to establish a democratic system that may not survive the 1997 transfer of sovereignty, Britain's argument loses all credibility when the people of Hong Kong have
overwhelmingly elected representatives who have run on a platform for democracy right now even at the risk of displeasing Beijing. If we in Hong Kong are prepared to face the risks of establishing democracy now, what possible reason does the British Government have in denying us this most fundamental of rights?
I therefore call upon the British government to ensure that, consistent with the OMELCO consensus, at least half of this Council be democratically elected by 1995. And, I call upon the Chinese Government to amend the Basic Law in accordance with the clearly expressed wishes of the people of Hong Kong. In the meantime, the administration needs to take positive steps such as making the District Boards and Municipal Councils fully elected and radically reforming the highly undemocratic
functional constituencies.
The relationship between the Executive and Legislative Branches.
As for the relationship between the executive and legislative branches, I welcome the Governor's call for partnership, yet this partnership must be based on the mutual respect of equals rather than the previous system under which Legco served very much as the servant, if not a rubber stamp.
Yet, several barriers to a healthy relationship between the executive and legislature still remain. And they must be removed as soon as possible. First, the Governor should relinquish his powers as President of this Council in order to accord with the reality of separation of powers. Second, Exco must no longer insist on controlling all Legco staff and research through the OMELCO Secretariat. All Legco staff should be responsible to the politically neutral Deputy President of Legco rather than to the politically partial Senior Member of Exco who is bound by the so- called rule of collective responsibility. As long as staff are hired and fired by a politically partial person, staff will not be able to provide impartial service to Legco members. If Legco is to become an equal partner, we will need to develop our own independent research capabilities, for to rely on the administration for all information cripples our ability to effectively monitor the Government's policies.
The Hong Kong-China-Britain Relationship: My final subject is the role Hong Kong is to play over the next six years in the context of the triangular Hong Kong-China-Britain relationship. The election campaign made clear the unhappiness, even despair, of the people of Hong Kong with the way in which Britain and China continue to force upon Hong Kong agreements that we find unacceptable. I am afraid that, the Joint Liaison Group is increasingly emerging as a Sino-British condominium government that is deciding Hong Kong's internal affairs without even
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