Debate on Hong Kong's Future in the
Hong Kong Legislative Council on 14th March 1984
Some key points expressed in the course of the debate are summarised below:-
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Hong Kong people must be told without further delay the direction in which the talks are heading, and should debate and discuss their views on the future freely. How can proposals which affect the destiny of Hong Kong people be made without their participation and
contribution? Public opinion must be informed in order to be effective. Some Hong Kong people fear they may be presented with a fait accompli.
Given that HMG has undertaken to reach an agreement which will be acceptable to the people of Hong Kong, as well as to the Governments of China and Britain; how is acceptability to Hong Kong people to be tested? The views of Hong Kong people must be obtained before any agreement is set in concrete. Adequate time is needed for debate. Any appearance of rushing an agreement through would psychologically damage the credibility of the British Government even if the agreement itself was quite reasonable.
Hong Kong people are being asked to believe that under a Chinese administration their way of life and institutions would not change. But the systems of Hong Kong and China are fundamentally different. China's recent history has not been stable and is not reassuring. Furthermore, there is no known precedent for one country to operate successfully two totally opposite systems at the same time and no one knows whether it will work. This is one of the many major fears of Hong Kong people.
The great majority of Hong Kong people wish to maintain their existing life-style, social, legal and economic systems. Personal freedom is the right Hong Kong people value most highly. The acceptability of any proposed settlement lies in whether people believe that its terms will be respected and will endure. Faith cannot be created by orders; trust cannot be induced by the exercise of power; and no settlement which fails to engender trust can possibly preserve Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.
Of Hong Kong's present population of 5.3 million people, some 60% are British by birth or naturalisation. Since the passing of the British