TNAG-2990-FCO40-3574-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-talks-betwee-1992 — Page 116

CONFIDENTIAL

Notes Handed Over to the Chinese Goverment :

Voting Procedures for the SAR Legislature

with the

(6.2.90)

During their meeting in Peking on 11 January 1990 Governor of Hong Kong, Mr LI Hou and Mr. LU Ping explained the Chinese Government's views about voting procedures for the SAR legislature.

2.

According to press reports, at its meeting in January this year, the BLDC Special Group on the Political System agreed to add to the draft Basic Law a new provision

on separate vote counting as follows:

"Unless otherwise specified by this law, all bills and motions introduced to the Legislative Council of the HKSAR shall be passed by a simple majority of members elected by

functional

members

committee

constituencies and by a simple majority of

returned by direct election and the election

attending the meeting. If a bill proposed by the Government is not passed by a simple majority of either of the above two categories of members attending the meeting,

the Government shall amend the bill and re-submit it to the

Legislative Council for voting: such bills shall be passed

by a simple majority of all the members attending the meeting."

3.

These press reports have attracted a great deal of

public criticism in Hong Kong. This has focussed on the divisiveness and inefficiency of the proposed voting

the

system.

There has been widespread concern that proposal was agreed by the Special System despite strong local objections.

by the Special Group on the Political

CONFIDENTIAL