2.
CONFIDENTIAL
eventually leading to civic pride as a substitute
for sense of national identity. This takes time and
money. But I think that what has already been done,
and broad acceptance of the sincerity of the Government
in doing it, contributed to stability in the period
of stress from which Hong Kong is emerging. One of
the principal problems in the last two years has been
to find the resources to maintain credible progress on
this fourth leg, particularly in the massive social
programmes that form such a vital element in it, but
to the great credit of the Financial Secretary found
they were.
4.
At the core of this whole process of
community building, is the deployment of adequate
forces to master crime and thus restore ease of mind
to the population. In terms of social consciousness
and credibility of Government, fear of violent crime
in Hong Kong is the equivalent of fear of unemployment in
the United Kingdom. The difference is a matter of
Chinese as well as Hong Kong historical experience.
This explains the depth of feeling here about prevention
of the use of the death penalty here by parliamentary
opinion in the United Kingdom.
CONFIDENTIAL