provisional legislature chief 'should name Basic Law advisers'

THE president of the indirectly-elected provisional legislature should take part in the nomination of members to an important committee to advise on the interpretation of the Basic Law, the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) suggested yesterday.

Its political sub-group also proposed the membership list of the committee be announced in June, 1997, and officially established on July 1.

The 12-strong Basic Law Committee will be formed under the National People's Congress Standing Committee and will comprise an equal number of Hong Kong and mainland members.

Under the Basic Law, the local members should be nominated by the president of the legislature, the Chief Executive, and the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal.

Group co-convenor Leung Chun-ying said because it was impossible to have a formal legislature in place at the change-over, the provisional legislature would become the nominator.

Even though the court has not yet been set up, the Preparatory Committee will set up its own with a Chief Justice, he said.