A PROMINENT delegate to the eighth National People's Congress (NPC) this week will urge China's highest law-making body to start drafting laws on post-1997 election arrangements for Hongkong's Legislative Council and the Court of Final Appeal. The latest move was prompted by the Hongkong Government's decision to gazette the draft bill based on Governor Mr Chris Patten's political reform proposals. The Sino-British diplomatic storm over the proposed political reforms was expected to be one of the main issues at the NPC session which opens in Beijing tomorrow. NPC deputy Mr Tsang Tak-shing, also vice-director of the left-wing newspaper Tai Kung Pao, revealed yesterday his plan to propose the NPC set up a working committee to draft two laws for the future Hongkong Special Administrative Region (SAR) before 1997. He was supported by Hongkong's New China News Agency (NCNA) assistant director Mr Lee Wai-ting, who said the Chinese Government should begin preparation work for the establishment of the future SAR government. Mr Lee, also an NPC deputy, expected the Sino-British controversy over Hongkong's political reform to be discussed in meetings of both the Guangdong NPC delegation and Hongkong NPC team. If Mr Tsang's proposal won the support of the other 29 NPC deputies, they can jointly move a motion to the NPC urging the legislature to take action. Mr Tsang said he decided to urge China to draft its own bills on Hongkong's post-1997 political system and the Court of Final Appeal because there was now little hope of having a ''through train''. ''In order to ensure Legco and the Court of Final Appeal will converge with the stipulations of the Basic Law, the NPC should start drafting the two laws so that a smooth transition can be guaranteed,'' he said. But pro-Beijing legislator and unionist Mr Tam Yiu-chung spoke out against the proposal yesterday, saying it did not represent his views. ''I think the NPC delegates might be so angry [over the gazettal] that they would like to urge the NPC to consider proposals for the electoral arrangement,'' he said. ''But that is only their view.'' However, his fellow unionist Mr Cheng Yiu-tong, a veteran NPC delegate, said China should start drafting laws for the future SAR government. Mr Cheng said he would propose the NPC consider a law for future elections of Hongkong NPC deputies. Newly elected NPC deputy Mr Wai Kee-shun said the British Government had acted against the principle of convergence with the Basic Law so the Chinese Government should start preparing for the establishment of the future SAR government. PRO-CHINA business leaders Mr Henry Fok Ying-tung and Dr Ann Tse-kai are set to become vice-chairmen of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - the first time since the united front body was formed in the late 1940s. Their elevation has demonstrated the significance attached to Hongkong by the Chinese Government, according to a long-serving local CPPCC delegate, Mr Xu Simin.
