2 -
5.
6.
Basing upon the above assumptions those senior Government Officials have throughout the years attempted with greatest effort to indicate to the public in a very clever manner, that such reform has been opposed externally by certain nations and internally by the 'majority' of local residents who dislike any upset of the status quo. Such officials have also endeavoured to stretch the assumptions further by making representation to Her Majesty's Government direct, that the greatest majority of the public in Hong Kong is not in favour of any reform of the Legislative Council with directly
elected members therein.
We cannot agree with these contentions for the following
reasons:
(i) It has not been and will never be the intention of the
Reform Club of Hong Kong to appeal for self government, which perhaps would be, if at all, opposed by certain big nations and the majority of local residents. Direct representation in the form of minority in the Legislative Council is obviously by no means equivalent to self government this point is distinct and cannot be muddled - moreover, such direct representation is advantageous to the Government as well as the public in serving as opposition in the Legislature;
up
(ii) It is completely an illogical argument that direct re-
presentation in the form of minority could possibly change the status quo, if one takes a closer examination of this issue one cannot but only be convinced that the Government, as it now is constituted, cannot possibly
be weakened or become less powerful if it is reformed
by having some members of its Legislative Council directly elected to form a minority therein; the Govern- ment will still be a 'Colonial' Government, its policy will still be under the control of the Governor, Her Majesty's Government will still retain its unchallengeable position, it is therefore manifestly clear that the status quo will remain unchanged notwithstanding such reform;
(iii)If the status quo remains unchanged, there can be no
cause of anxiety whatsoever that other nations may oppose to such proposed reform, the recent constitutional development in the governmental structure of Macau adds
support to this contention;