(Mr Hum) Yes, it was.
59.
(Mr Hum)
October.
And how many months after his appointment did that take place?
He took up his appointment in July and he visited Peking in
Chairman: We have pushed on a little beyond the rather central
question of how the actual proposals of the Governor are in our view and in
your view and in the view of the British Government consistent with all
these things we have been discussing.
60.
Mr Canavan
Governor Patten claims that his proposals for the 1995
elections are not contrary to the Basic Law or the Joint Declaration,
whereas the Chinese Government claims that at least two of his proposals do
contravene the Basic Law, namely the proposal on new functional
constituencies and the proposal on the composition of the Election
Committee.
Could you tell us please why you think that the Governor rather
than the Chinese Government is correct?
(Mr Chamberlain) Yes. So far as the proposals on functional
constituencies are concerned the first point that needs to be borne in mind
is that the composition of the first legislature after 1997 provides for 30
functional constituencies.
At present there are 21 functional
constituencies. Therefore there was already a need to create nine new
functional constituencies. As to the composition of those functional
constituencies the Basic Law is silent on this. Therefore it is difficult
to see how those proposals can be regarded in any way as inconsistent with
the Basic Law or indeed the Joint Declaration which is even less specific
on this question. That merely provides in Annex I that the legislature of
the Hong Kong SAR will be constituted by elections. Therefore there was a
need for the Governor to create nine additional functional constituencies
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