CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
There are two points I would like to make.
तुका
P
Berley asikup
christchurch
Еденный Black foor S. Hon Rirenzte
Him. Toen hornwell
S.
The first concerns the
present situation. There are already direct elections to District
band in unival hauchne Boards and the Urban Council. The Hong Kong Government announced on
15 February a further extension of these direct elections. The
details of these arrangements, which were announced by the Hong Kong
Secretary of Home Affairs earlier today, amount to a considerable strengthening of the representative element in local administration.
Second, the British Government supports the further development of representative institutions in Hong Kong between now and 1997.
My Hon and learned friend made this clear in Hong Kong on 20 Aprila odzy
The Hong Kong Government has announced its intention of publishing
in the summer a Green Paper formulating proposals whereby the representative status of the two main central government
institutions, the Executive Council and the Legislative Council,
might be developed during the coming years.
I am aware of criticisms that we have not been specific enough in
saying what developments we would like to see. But we do not see it
as our role to dictate to the Government and people of Hong Kong how
and how fast changes should be introduced. We accept of course our overall responsibility for Hong Kong. But we believe that it is the Government and people of Hong Kong who are best placed to decide how
their own systems should develop.
Yesterday I had an hour with a delegation from Hong Kong who stated
very clearly and very firmly how they thought representative government in the territory should develop. I am certain that other people in Hong Kong hold quite different views equally firmly. it will not necessarily be easy to reconcile all these views. But I believe that it is very important that when the Hong Kong Government publishes its Green Paper, everyone who holds views on this subject
should take the opportunity to express them. It is after all their
future.
The Chinese Government have made it clear publicly that they see the