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THE SECOND SENTENCE NECESSARILY FOLLOWS FROM THE FIRST. I THINK
THE SECRETARY OF STATE MAY HAVE IN MIND THAT ALTHOUGH THE
INTRODUCTION OF A FEW DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS WOULD HAVE A
SYMBOLIC RATHER THAN PRACTICAL EFFECT, THE POSSIBLE RISKS OF
HAVING ANY DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT ARE REAL AND ARE NOT IN FACT
DIRECTLY DETERMINED BY ITS SIZE. WHETHER THE ELECTIONS WERE FOR
10 SEATS OR FOR 30, THEIR INTRODUCTION WOULD INVOLVE A NEW TYPE
OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY ON A TERRITORY WIDE BASIS, WITH CERTAIN
IMPLICATIONS FOR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STABILITY HOWEVER CAREFULLY
THE EXERCISE WAS HANDLED. THIS POINT APPEARS TO HAVE DROPPED OUT
OF YOUR REVISION OF PARA 34 OF THE PAPER.
4.
TO REFLECT THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S THINKING ON THIS
POINT, WE SUGGEST THAT THE FIRST TWO SENTENCES IN THE PRESENT
TEXT MIGHT BE FOLLOWED BY THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE, WHICH DRAWS ON
YOUR SUGGESTION AND ALSO ON LANGUAGE FROM PARA 1B OF PEKING TUR:
5.
QUOTE THIS MIGHT NOT IN ITSELF PRESENT REAL PROBLEMS FOR
THE CHINESE. THEY SEEM HOWEVER TO FEAR THAT IT WOULD BE
MERELY THE FIRST STEP ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO A FULLY
DIRECTLY-ELECTED LEGISLATURE. AS FAR AS HONG KONG IS
CONCERNED, DIRECT ELECTIONS WILL NOT IN THEMSELVES
GUARANTEE AUTONOMY AFTER 1997: THIS WILL NEED TO BE
ACHIEVED BY A MUCH WIDER VARIETY OF MEANS. BUT THE
INTRODUCTION OF EVEN A FEW DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN 1988
IS AT PRESENT SEEN AS A MATTER OF SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE
BY SUBSTANTIAL SECTIONS OF HONG KONG OPINION. ON THE
OTHER HAND THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS, EVEN FOR
ONLY A FEW SEATS, WOULD INVOLVE A SIGNIFICANT STEPPING-UP
OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG, WHICH COULD AFFECT
STABILITY HOWEVER CAREFULLY IT WAS HANDLED. WE WILL NEED
TO KEEP ALL THESE POINTS VERY FIRMLY IN MIND WHEN WE
CONSIDER WHETHER A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT SHOULD BE
INTRODUCED IN 1988. UNQUOTE.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S MEETING HAS NOW BEEN POSTPONED
TO THE EVENING OF 30 OCTOBER. THERE MAY BE FURTHER REDRAFTING TO
BE DONE THEREAFTER, AND I AM AFRAID I WILL BE UNABLE TO GIVE YOU
A DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THE TEXTS BY YOUR PROPOSED DESKBY TIME.
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