SECRET
गा
14
SECRET
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 06010OZ HONG KONG
TELNO 24
OF 051635Z JANUARY 88
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
117106
MDHOAN 5958
TOP COPY Q_DIST?
HRB 011
15 JAN 1988
MY SECOND IPT: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT: WHITE PAPER
CHAPTER VIII: THE WAY FORWARD
WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON YOUR TELNO 10:
(A)
@
011/1
GENERAL: WE NOTE THAT IN REDRAFTING ON MORE POSITIVE
LINES YOU HAVE LAID A NEW EMPHASIS ON QUOTE CONTINUING EVOLUTION
UNQUOTE. WE THINK THIS CONCEPT NEEDS TO BE HANDLED WITH
PARTICULAR CARE. CERTAIN OF YOUR PROPOSED WORDING COULD BE
INTERPRETED AS SEEKING TO LAY DOWN A PRESCRIPTION FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT POST-1997.
WE ALSO NEED TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO COMMIT OURSELVES NOW TO AN
UNDESIRABLE DEGREE ON ACTION AFTER 1991.
SUGGEST THAT QUOTE A GRADUAL AND GRADUAL UNQUOTE.
(B)
PARA 75, FINAL SENTENCE: WE UNQUOTE SHOULD READ QUOTE A PRUDENT
(C)
PARA 77, THIRD SENTENCE: WE SUGGEST THIS CONCLUDE QUOTE BETWEEN 1991 AND 1997 TO ENSURE THERE IS CONTINUITY AND A
SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997 UNQUOTE.
(D)
PARA 77, FOURTH SENTENCE: BECAUSE OF THE AMENDMENT SUGGESTED FOR THE PREVIOUS SENTENCE, WE SUGGEST THAT QUOTE THEREFORE UNQUOTE SHOULD BE DELETED.
(E)
PARA 78, FOURTH AND FIFTH SENTENCES: WE SUGGEST THAT THIS SHOULD READ QUOTE THE OVERRIDING AIM OF THE GOVERNMENT IS THAT
HONG KONG'S SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN THE YEARS BETWEEN NOW AND 1997 SHOULD BE ABLE TO EVOLVE GRADUALLY FROM THE PRESENT SYSTEM TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION IN 1997. THIS
SHOULD BE DONE IN A MANNER THAT
HOWE
COMMANDS
UNQUOTE.
YYYY