Delegates split on setting up local office

A RECENT brainstorming session has highlighted divisions among Hongkong delegates to the National People's Congress regarding their role in the lead-up to 1997.

The 13 local delegates to the congress who showed up at fellow delegate Ms Liu Yiu-chu's flat failed to see eye-to-eye on what more they should and could do where mainland-Hongkong matters are concerned.

Ms Liu, a lawyer, has strongly advocated that the local congress contingent should take a more active role in transitional matters.

She went as far as calling for the setting up of a Hongkong office of the local congress members to better ''supervise'' the central government in regard to the territory's handover and to improve internal communication.

She insisted that as China's legislators, she and her colleagues were duty-bound to closely supervise the executive authorities to ensure they did well in bringing about a smooth transfer of power in 1997.

While few challenged the important role of local congress delegates in transitional matters, there were grave concerns about whether a localNPC branch would undermine British rule by creating another power base in Hongkong.

One source close to China said both the State Council's Hongkong and Macau Affairs Office and the New China News Agency's local branch had reservations about the proposal.

Mr Wang Rudeng, an NCNA assistant director, admitted the idea of setting up a local congress office was politically sensitive because Hongkong was still under British rule.

A Beijing-appointed adviser on Hongkong affairs argued that the idea ''is absolutely impossible''.

''It is impossible that a local congress organ will be established before and after 1997,'' he said.

''How can we say 'one country, two systems' and a high degree of autonomy if there is another power centre here before and after 1997?'' Even within pro-China circles, there has been deep suspicion about the idea.

A local Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delegate challenged the motives behind the idea of forming a local club for congress members.

He queried whether it could be the first step towards the setting up of a ''takeover'' government should talks with Britain on the 1994/95 electoral arrangements fail.

Last week, NCNA director Mr Zhou Nan called on the new batch of 28 local congress deputies to shoulder greater responsibility concerning Hongkong's transitional matters.

Referring to the impasse between Beijing and London on Hongkong's democratic reforms in 1995, Mr Zhou said China should also prepare for the worst, even if both sides eventually returned to the negotiating table.

The message was clear - prepare for the formation of the first Special Administrative Region government without British co-operation.

Under the Basic Law, the Hongkong congress deputies will sit on a 400-member committee to choose the first chief executive of the SAR and an 800-member election committee to hand-pick a portion of the 60-member legislature.

Two deputies, Mr Ng Hong-mun and Mr Cheng Yiu-tong, expressed fears that a Hongkong office of the congress would create another centre of power in the territory.

Mr Cheng, a union leader, said: ''Since the congress is the highest power organ in China, an office of the local congress deputies may also be regarded as a power organ. This may bring about embarrassment to the Hongkong Government.'' Mr Ng, an educationist, said there was room for the congress deputies to play a more active role in the territory even there was no congress office here.

A newly-elected deputy, Mr Kan Fook-yee, said one important task for him and his colleagues was to enhance internal organisation and communication.

The establishment of an NPC office in the territory would help them perform better, he said.