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CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTAL"
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DESKBY 19090OZ
FM HONG KONG 190655Z NOV 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 3518 OF 19 NOVEMBER
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
375
HKK 011/3.
गा
RECLIVED
PRESENTATIVE NOVISC4
MIPT: WHITE PAPER ON FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF GOVERNOR'S SPEECH.
NO
BEGINS
INTRODUCTION
Imm
IN MY ADDRESS TO THIS COUNCIL ON 4 OCTOBER THIS YEAR I SAID THAT THE GREEN PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG HAD AROUSED INTENSE INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY. I GAVE AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE VIEWS WHICH HAD BEEN EXPRESSED ON THE MAIN ISSUES RAISED IN IT. I UNDERTOOK THAT, AFTER THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAD CONSIDERED ALL THE VIEWS PUT FORWARD, A WHITE PAPER WOULD BE PREPARED SETTING OUT DEFINITIAVE PLANS FOR THE NEXT STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
IN HONG KONG.
2. THE WHITE PAPER PUBLISHED TODAY FULFILS THAT UNDERTAKING. IT SETS OUT THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTIONS ON THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1985: AND PROPOSES AN OVERALL REVIEW
WHAT IN 1987 TO CONSIDER, IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE GAINED, FURTHER DEVELOPMENT SHOULD TAKE PLACE THEREAFTER.
MAIN AIMS
3. IN PREPARING THE WHITE PAPER THE GOVERNMENT HAVE KEPT FIRMLY IN VIEW THE AIMS SET OUT IN THE GREEN PAPER. THESE WERE:
FIRST, TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT WHICH IS FIRMLY ROOTED IN OUR COMMUNITY: ON WHICH THE VIEWS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE FULLY REPRESENTED: AND WHICH IS MORE DIRECTLY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE
OF HONG KONG:
SECOND, TO DEVELOP THIS SYSTEM PROGRESSIVELY, BUILDING ON OUR EXISTING INSTITUTIONS, AND ON OUR WELL-ESTABLISHED PRACTICE OF GOVERNMENT BY CONSENSUS: AND
THIRD, TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PROPOSALS TO BE TESTED AGAINST THE EXPERIENCE WE GAIN IN IMPLEMENTING THEM, AND TO HOLD A REVIEW OF THE POSITION BEFORE DECIDING THE DIRECTION AND TIMING OF ANY FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS OF THE SYSTEM.
4. THOSE AIMS WERE STRONGLY SUPPORTED BY THE MAJORITY OF THE ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO COMMENTED ON THE GREEN PAPER. THEY HAVE PEEN RETAINED AS THE AIMS OF THE
WHITE PAPER.
CONFIDENTAL
15.