1985.
introduction of indirect elections to the Legislative Council in
On the question of direct elections, the White Paper
whilst noting that "there was little evidence of support in
public comment on the Green Paper for any move towards direct
elections in 1985", nevertheless acknowledged that "the bulk of
public response from all sources suggested a cautious approach
with a gradual start by
by introducing a very small number of
directly elected members in 1988 and building up to a significant
number of directly elected members by 1997". The Hong Kong
Government also decided to bring forward to 1987 the political
review to assess progress on the development of representative
Government prior to the second series of elections to the
Legislative Council scheduled for 1988.
Lord Glenarthur now says, quite rightly, that the White
Paper did not promise direct elections in 1988, only a review in
1987. However, given Britain's expressed desire in 1984 to
"develop progressively a system of government the authority for
which is firmly rooted in Hong Kong, there was general
expectation that the 1987 review was to determine not whether
there would be direct elections in 1988, but how these elections
would be held. Sir Edward Youde, for example, had even stated
that the review "will assess whether by then it would be the wish
of the community that all Unofficial Members should thereafter be
elected, or whether there would still be a need for a number of
directly appointed members."
Incidentally, this option, the
elimination
of all
appointed members, was not even offered as an option in the 1987
Green Paper.
8