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CONFIDENTIAL
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INFO PRIORITY HK GOVT OFFICE LONDON, PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: ACTIVITIES IN JUNE 1992.
SUMMARY
09943 para?
TWO LEGCO SITTINGS AND TWO FINANCE COMMITTEE (FC) MEETINGS IN JUNE 1992. MEMBERS PUT ASIDE THEIR POLITICAL DIFFERENCE AND MOURNED THE DEATH OF NG MING-YUM ON 22 JUNE AFTER FIGHTING LEUKAEMIA FOR FOUR MONTHS (PARA 1 OF OUR TELNO 730).
LEGISLATION
2.
SIX BILLS WERE INTRODUCED INTO LEGCO FOR FIRST READING. THE LANDLORD AND TENANT (CONSOLIDATION) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1992 TO DECONTROL RENT IS CONTROVERSIAL.
3.
THE PACE OF LEGISLATIVE WORK CONTINUED TO PICK UP TOWARDS THE END OF THE SESSION. TWELVE BILLS WERE ENACTED. THESE INCLUDED THE POLICE FORCE (AMENDMENT) BILL 1992, THE IMMIGRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1992, THE DANGEROUS DRUGS (AMENDMENT BILL AND. THE ACETYLATING SUBSTANCES (CONTROL) (AMENDMENT) BILL 1992, WHICH WERE BILL OF RIGHTS RELATED.
AS AT 30 JUNE 1992, 87 BILLS HAD BEEN INTRODUCED INTO LEGCO, 61 OF WHICH HAD BEEN ENACTED. ABOUT 77 BILLS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ENACTED BY THE END OF THE CURRENT SESSION.
MOTION DEBATES
5.
FOUR MOTION DEBATES.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY
6.
STEVEN POON MOVED THIS MOTION ON 3 JUNE. ITS WORDING WAS: 'IN VIEW OF THE EXPIRY OF THE FRANCHISE OF HONG KONG TELEPHONE COMPANY IN 1995, THIS COUNCIL URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO FORMULATE WITHOUT DELAY A COMPREHENSIVE AND LONG-TERM TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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POLICY SO AS TO FACILITATE, AMONG THE OTHER THINGS, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SECOND LOCAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK IN 1995, HAVING DUE REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTING CONSUMER INTERESTS, MAINTAINING FREE AND FAIR COMPETITION, AND PROTECTING THE GOOD REPUTATION OF HONG KONG' THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
7.
THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS DEBATE WAS GENERALLY FAVOURABLE AS THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES WAS ABLE TO MAP OUT WELL THE GOVERNMENT'S EXISTING TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY AND THE WAY FORWARD IN HER SPEECH. STEVEN POON AND A FEW CRC MEMBERS WERE KEEN ON PROMOTING LOCAL NETWORK COMPETITION WHILE UDHK MEMBERS WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT PRICE CAPPING.
DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS
8. YEUNG SUM MOVED THIS MOTION ON 3 JUNE. THE WORDING WAS: 'THAT THIS COUNCIL URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW THE STATUS, ROLE AND STRUCTURE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM, AND TO STRENGTHEN THE REPRESENTATIVENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF THESE BODIES BY ABOLISHING THEIR APPOINTED AND EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSHIP IN THE NEXT TERM '.
9.
THE ORIGINAL MOTION WAS AMENDED BY A MOTION MOVED BY ANDREW WONG WHICH SUBSTITUTED THE WORDS AFTER 'THESE BODIES' BY AND TO ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS OF THE REVIEW AND REFORM PROPOSALS WITHIN ONE YEAR'.
10. THE AMENDED MOTION WAS CARRIED WITH 29 VOTES FOR THE AMENDMENT AND 21 AGAINST.
11. THE DEBATE CENTRED ON THE FUTURE OF THE APPOINTMENT SYSTEM TO THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND MUNICIPAL COUNCILS. ALL MEMBERS WHO SPOKE SUPPORTED A REVIEW BUT CONSENSUS ON THE PREFERRED MODEL DID NOT EMERGE FROM THE DEBATE.
DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
12. JIMMY MCGREGOR MOVED THIS MOTION ON 24 JUNE. ITS WORDING WAS: 'THAT THIS COUNCIL REAFFIRMS ITS ADHERENCE TO THE PROPOSED PACE OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SET OUT IN THE 1989 OMELCO CONSENSUS AND REQUESTS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO ACCEPT THE PROPOSAL THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO LESS THAN HALF OF THE SEATS OF THE LEGISLATIVE
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COUNCIL ELECTED BY UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE IN 1995'.
13. NGAI SHIU-KIT MOVED THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION: 'THAT THIS COUNCIL REQUESTS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO REACH AN EARLY DECISION ON MATTERS RELATING TO THE 1995 ELECTIONS, INCLUDING THE COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND TO SEEK CHINESE ACCEPTANCE OF IT AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE IN ORDER TO
ACHIEVE SMOOTH TRANSITION OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM BEFORE AND
AFTER 1997'.
14.
NGAI SHIU-KIT'S AMENDMENT WAS CARRIED BY 24 TO 22 VOTES.
(PLEASE SEE ALSO OUR TELNO 1721).
REDEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE BUILDINGS
15. JAMES TO MOVED THIS MOTION ON 24 JUNE. THE WORDING WAS:
'THAT THIS COUNCIL URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO SET UP A SPECIAL WORKING GROUP TO CARRY OUT A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON MATTERS CONCERNING THE ACQUISITION OF BUILDINGS BY PRIVATE DEVELOPERS FOR REDEVELOPMENT PURPOSES AND TO FORMULATE POLICIES IN RESPECT OF REDEVELOPMENT PROCEDURES, COMPENSATION AND REHOUSING FOR TENANTS AND REDEVELOPMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT (INCLUDING THE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT), SO AS TO PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE AFFECTED CITIZENS'.
16.
RONALD ARCULLI MOVED THE FOLLOWING AMENDMENT TO JAMES TO'S MOTION: 'THAT THIS COUNCIL URGES THE GOVERNMENT TO RE-EXAMINE THE EXISTING POLICY AS REGARDS COMPENSATION AND REHOUSING OF TENANTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE REDEVELOPMENT OF OLD OR DILAPIDATED OR UNDERDEVELOPED BUILDINGS PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE URBAN AREAS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL RELEVANT FACTORS INCLUDING THE IMPACT OF
SUCH REDEVELOPMENT ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT'.
17. THE DEBATE WAS ADJOURNED AT MIDNIGHT AS THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
THOUGHT THAT HE HAD NO POWER TO EXTEND THE SITTING BEYOND 24
JUNE. THE DEBATE WAS RESUMED ON 1 JULY. JAMES TO'S MOTION WAS
ADOPTED AFTER MEMBERS VOTED BY A 25 TO 24 MAJORITY TO REJECT
RONALD ARCULLI'S AMENDMENT.
18.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT AN AMENDMENT MOVED BY A CRC MEMBER FAILED TO BE CARRIED, PROBABLY BECAUSE THE 'INDEPENDENT' MEMBERS PREFERRED TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM AN AMENDMENT MOVED BY AN ELECTED MEMBER WHOSE CONSTITUENTS (PROPERTY DEVELOPERS) HAD
CLEAR VESTED INTEREST IN THE MATTER.
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