18
Government. For why else would our Governor find it necessary to go to Beijing so soon after his first visit in late September 1987? And why would it be necessary for him to explain to the Chinese Government "what is in the Survey Office Report and the parameters and which that creates for the decisions which (the Executive Council) is going to be taking ... about the question of direct elections to the Legislative Council"? (Sir David Wilson, 3rd December, 1987, in Beijing).
oversee
How is this change of position by the British Administration consistent with what Mr. Richard Luce told the House of Commons on 21st January 1985, that the Joint Liaison Group would not constitutional development of Hong Kong before 1997 and that "it is firmly
agreed that the British respons aible for
1997" ?
Government will
be administration of Hong Kong until 1st July
Declaration
governments while there are
If the Join t
years to go before
1997, the
the
by both
is broke n
still nine and a half people of Hong Kong won de r what will happen to the Joint Declaration, and the Basic Law for that matter, after 1997.
Convergence" with the Chinese Government
Furthermore, it is now obvious that when it comes to any sensitive or political issue on which the Chinese
a strong stance,
Government
has
taken
the
British
Administration will simply agree "to converge" with the Chinese
Government.
that
in
We believe
SO doing, the British Administration is not only setting a very bad precedent for the future but is doing serious harm to the political system of the future SAR. The people of Hong Kong have no effective say in the present administration of Hong Kong by the British. they hope, that after 1997, they will administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, a promise made to them by both Britain and China. If during these transitional years the allow itself to be dictated to
But
British Administration were to by the Chinese Government in relation to internal affairs including political reforms, it is going to make it very difficult for the future Hong Kong SAR government to have that high degree of autonomy promised to it in the Joint Declaration. This is against the interests of the people of Hong Kong and against the Joint Declaration.
The Hong Kong Government has lost its credibility
To
compound the situation, the Hong Kong Government has recently made a number of unpopular and unjustifiable decisions which have severely and adversely damaged its Own credibility: -
(a)
The Government's refusal to withdraw its support for the Daya Bay nuclear plant project in the af terma th of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, in spite of the objection of one million people who signed petition calling for the project to be shelved;
a