BRIEFING FOR THE CONSERVATIVE CENTRAL OFFICE
EFING
File
HKK 011/3
RECEIVED
REGR
29 NOV 1984
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
PA
THE WHITE PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTAT I VE
GOVERNMENT
405
1. The White Paper on the Further Development of Representative Government in Hong Kong was published on 21 November.
It sets out
the Hong Kong Government's intentions for the election of members to
the Legislative Council in 1985.
2. The White Paper takes into account the comments of the Hong Kong people during the two month period of consultation
following the publication of the Green Paper on 18 July. The main aims of this Green Paper were "to develop progressively a system of Government, the authority for which is clearly rooted in Hong Kong,
which is able to represent authoritatively the views of the people of Hong Kong and which is more accountable to the people of Hong Kong: to build this system on existing institutions which have served Hong Kong well and as far as possible to preserve their best features and to allow for further development if that should be the
wish of the Hong Kong community".
3.
Public reaction was generally in favour of these aims and of the gradual and progressive nature of the proposals made in the Green Paper. Comments widely recognised the need to ensure that the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong was not put at risk by introducing too many constitutional changes too rapidly. There was much discussion on the subject of direct elections to Hong Kong's Legislative Council. Whilst most people favoured the idea of direct elections very few wanted them in the immediate future.
4. Given the general public support for the main aims of the Green Paper, those set out in the White Paper are identical. However, the individual proposals contained in it take account of public comment during the period of consultation. The proposals also take account of the political realities of Hong Kong; in framing them the Hong Kong Government has recognised the need to keep in mind the provision of the draft agreement on the future of Hong Kong. The main points in the paper are:
/ (a)