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SCMP Reporter

NEARLY half of the respondents to a survey commissioned by the South China Morning Post believe Governor Chris Patten no longer has anything useful to do.

  The results of the survey were released yesterday, with 47 per cent of those polled agreeing there was no useful job for Mr Patten after his bitter confrontation with China over electoral reforms.

  Only 36 per cent of the respondents said he could now play an active role.

  In addition, more than a quarter of those interviewed said Mr Patten should go and the British Government should appoint a new governor more acceptable to China.

  These respondents believe the new governor should be a Hong Kong Chinese rather than a Briton.

  There have been suggestions locally and in the United Kingdom that Mr Patten should step aside in an effort to mend the relationship between China and Britain.

  But Mr Patten has said he has no plans to leave the territory and will remain as Governor until June 30, 1997.

  Despite the perception among some Hong Kong residents that he has been left in a job with nothing to do, Mr Patten continues to enjoy a high popularity rating.

  Sixty-eight per cent of those interviewed said they were satisfied with Mr Patten's performance, while only 26 per cent said they were dissatisfied.

  The survey also suggested that the majority of the public does not think Mr Patten is spending too much time outside Hong Kong.

  A total of 57 per cent of respondents said Mr Patten was spending roughly the right amount of time out of Hong Kong. Only 23 per cent said he had been away from the territory for too long.

 Some legislators had criticised the Governor harshly for taking too many overseas trips, saying it left him with less time to address local concerns.

  Mr Patten returned this month from a one-week visit to the United States. He travels to Japan in mid-December.

   The survey also revealed that many people are not satisfied with the work of the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC), the Beijing-appointed body whose role it is to make recommendations on transitional matters.

  Those dissatisfied with the PWC's performance totalled 52.8 per cent; only 23.6 per cent said they were satisfied. The remainder were undecided.

  About one-tenth of the respondents said they disapproved of the PWC because it was not working for the Hong Kong people and did only what mainland China wanted. And they were unhappy about the secrecy surrounding PWC meetings.

  Interestingly, the survey found that more than 40 per cent of respondents had not even heard of the PWC despite the fact it was established 11/2 years ago.

  The poll, conducted by Asian Commercial Research Ltd, interviewed 400 people by telephone between Tuesday and Friday.



Patten regarded as a lame duck