Page:Hong Kong Basic Law consultation report vol. 1.djvu/47

 need of a survey, such as that on the political models. This will make the design of the questionnaire less complex. To ensure the fairness of the questionnaire, a research company may be commissioned to design the questionnaire. A broadly representative research group may even be formed to monitor the design of the questionnaire.

5.5.2 Reservations and objections:

5.5.2.1 After the Beijing incident, reservations have been expressed about having a public opinion poll because any emotional element injected into the survey will bias the results. The Basic Law is drafted for the next 50 years and momentary feelings should not be allowed to jeopardize future long-term development.

5.5.2.2 As the general public lack in-depth understanding of the Basic Law, the results of a public opinion poll may be biased.

5.5.2.3 It is not advisable to limit the scope of the survey to the part on the political structure and neglect the other sections and chapters. The existing political models all have their strong points and weaknesses. The best alternative will be to have the Drafting Committee sum up the strong points of each model to form the best model. It will not be appropriate to decide on the political model through a public opinion poll.

5.5.2.4 Many issues covered by the Basic Law are interrelated and should not be considered independently. To separate them or simplify them may not be desirable and is actually difficult. For example, if these issues are each dealt with separately and translated into simple questions with "yes or no" answers, but are later grouped together again, a complicated case will be created.

5.5.2.5 The format and design of a questionnaire will have direct bearing on the survey results. Thus, there is bound to be a heated public debate before the actual survey. However, the end results may still not be accepted by everyone. A number of public opinion poll reports have been criticized for being inconsistent with the facts.

5.5.2.6 The Basic Law is a complicated constitutional instrument with numerous articles, sections and chapters. Its contents are lengthy, with the articles, sections and chapters all interrelated with one another. It is therefore very difficult to design a questionnaire which is clear and unbiased. If the CCBL is to conduct the opinion poll itself, the technical standard and fairness of the design of the questionnaire will be queried. Even