TNAG-2289-FCO40-3293-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Basic-Law-1991 — Page 118

apparently, with the

Legislature and that he may only dissolve the Legislature once during his five year term of office. Nevertheless it would be premature to write off the Legislature's capacity to check the Executive. Apart from its power to impeach the Chief Executive (which is only effective if the CPG perfects it), the Legislature retains the ability to hold up the Executive's legislative programme including financial measures and it has thus the means of imposing its will on a Chief Executive who has once exercised the power of dissolution if the Executive attempts to force unacceptable legislation on the Legislature or ignores its duty of accountability to the Legislature. New machinery and practices, similar to those adopted in other countries where there is a division of powers, will need to be developed to enable the Executive to manage its legislative and financial programs in the Legislature and to provide for the reconciliation of differences between them. It is to be hoped that the policy of convergence, in accordance with which the last colonial Legislative Council will not

not include representatives of the Executive or appointed members, will provide the opportunity for a pre-1997 rehearsal in managing the new relationship between Executive and Legislature; if it does not, that

relationship is likely to come under new strains at the same time as Hong Kong is suffering the more traumatic changes inherent in the

transfer of

sovereignty.

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