Only after this process does the Governor recommend that we
might move to direct popular elections and only if it was
decided that this was appropriate at that time. The Governor proposes to issue a Green Paper in the Autumn containing the Government's proposals. This would be at about the same
time as the proposed draft agreement is published. Before that date the proposals would need to be agreed with the
Executive Council and discussed in confidence with members
of the Legislative Council.
5. The alternative is to move more quickly to direct
elections to LEGCO, EXCO and the post of Governor. There
are demands in some quarters in Hong Kong for early moves
towards some members of the Legislative Council being
selected on a more visibly representative base than the
present system of appointment. The approach of 1997 and
the negotiations on the future have also stimulated public
debate on the constitutional issues. If the link with
Britain is broken a new source of authority would be needed
to provide the political institutions of government and to
avoid a political vacuum that could be exploited by the
Chinese. There will also be political pressure in Parliament
to move to a system of direct elections in Hong Kong.
6. The Governor has pointed out the problems in moving more
quickly to direct elections. These include:
(a) The relatively retarded state of Hong Kong's political
development. There are still strong Chinese traditions in the community in Hong Kong. Policy formation at
the moment is based on consultation and consensus and
not on an adversarial party system as in the United
Kingdom. It will be easier to maintain stability if
a new structure is built progressively on what already
exists.
SECRET
/(b)