UNCLASSIFIED
are not of Chinese nationality may also be elected members of the Legislative Council, provided that the proportion of such members does not exceed 20% of the total council membership" appears to have been dropped.
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10. The powers of the Legislative Council have been amended slightly (Article 72). It can now both decide on taxation and
'approve the liabilities assumed by" the government, the latter being added to the draft (Article 70:3). It has the additional power to "decide on matters of public interest" (Article 70:5) whatever that may mean. Finally a motion to launch an impeachment process must now be sponsored by one third, up from one quarter, of the membership of the Council (Article 70:8).
11. Article 81 provides that members of the Legislative Council are immune from arrest, without the Council's approval, unless they are "criminals in action". The previous draft was rather more long winded: "with the exception of being caught in, before, or immediately after a criminal offence".
12.
Members of the Council can be disbarred if they have been absent from meetings for 5 consecutive occasions or for 15 intermittent occasions ( Article 82:3). A qualification has now been added "and without a legitimate explanation".
13. In article 90, the need for judges to be bound by rules of appeals laid down by superior courts (in Article 91 of the 1991 version) does not appear.
14. Article 99 on the pay and conditions of public servants has been redrafted but without any obvious change in its sense.
15. With regard to the Oath of allegiance, the requirement to swear to "uphold PRC law" appears to have been dropped (Article 102) though all the other elements of the oath remain. In Article 103 it is made clear that the pledge of loyalty to the PRC by senior figures in the SAR is in addition to the oath of allegiance.
Chapter V: the Economy
16. Article 110, dealing with exchange control, adds a reference to "the foreign exchange reserve of the Macao SAR shall be managed and controlled according to law by the Macao SAR government" which was not in the earlier draft. Article 113 adds in addition to tariff quotas acquired by the SAR, those "acquired in the past and still valid" may also be enjoyed.
17. In Article 116 there is no description of the duties of the "coordinating body of a consultative nature". In the previous draft these were specified as "to provide consultative advice for the formulation of labour law, social security system, and economic plans"
Chapter VI: Cultural and Social Affairs
18. A number of additions have been made in various articles:
UNCLASSIFIED
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