TNAG-2716-FCO40-3922-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 18

SECRET

E

C.2

(vii)

A

:

The

appointment

District

Boards

of

Members

of

to the Election

Committee cannot be incompatible with BL 97 ("District Organisations which are not organs of political power") since the BL itself (Annex article

envisages

2)

District Organisations playing a role in the Election of the CE and hence the second LegCo.

single seat

system which is manageable.

Televings

single vote (SSSV)

perfectly sensible and

The BL is silent on the number or size of electoral constituencies. See

no problem in having 60 constituencies each covering 100,000 people if and when LegCo is fully elected.

BL has not prescribed any voting system. Fundamental that any voting system must be fair, open, and easily understood; and which commands the confidence of voters and candidates. Hong Kong people familiar with sssv in District Board and Municipal Council elections. Legco endorsed it in motion debate in July last year.

proposals are entirely consistent with BL as principle of gradual and orderly progress. They represent, in our view, the right balance between the need for compatibility with the BL and the community's aspirations for a greater say in running their own affairs. Groundless to say that our proposals are radical.

are

D. Governor's

proposals understanding's reached in 1990.

Rebuttal

D.1

B.

in breach of the

The Secretary of State, in his message of 12 February 1990 to Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, confirmed an understanding that the British side would limit the number of directly-elected seats in LegCo in 1991 to 18 if

REBUTTAL

INCOUSISIONE

1990

Exchanges