TRADE unionist Cheng Yiu-tong, the first member of both the Chinese parliament and the Legislative Council, wants to see all his colleagues straddle the 1997 handover.
But Mr Cheng, who was elected through the labour constituency, was sponsor of a motion passed by the National People's Congress last year that will bring the legislative body created by Chris Patten's reforms to a halt on July 1, 1995.
The aim of his motion, he explained, was to lessen the turbulence to Hong Kong. 'Whenever China says it will do something, it will. Through the motion, I hoped to make it clear the future about the Legco was a fait accompli, so as to get Hong Kong people psychologically prepared,' he said.
The establishment of the provisional legislature was also a political reality, although its composition was still under discussion.
Mr Cheng has suggested that all lawmakers should be able to get on the through train again if they had gone through the simple formality of swearing allegiance to the Chinese Government.
But he admitted his proposal had won only a little support. Those who had taken part in the election would be more willing to support the idea, he believed.
Mr Cheng, chairman of the 210,000-strong Federation of Trade Unions, said the election had been a success although only three out of nine members had won.
