COHAEG
HUKB 011/2
RECEIVED IN RE
CONFIDENTIAL
Private Secretary
2 0 JAN 1988
FROM: CO Hum
file
25
DATE :
Cc:
Hong Kong Department
19 January 1988 PS/Lord Glenarthur
Mr Gillmore
Mr McLaren
CALL ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE BY MISS LYDIA DUNN: 19 JANUARY 1988
1.
Miss Lydia Dunn, a member of the Executive Council and the Senior Member of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, called on the Secretary of State this morning. You and I were also present.
2.
Miss Dunn said she had briefed the media on the issues in the
forthcoming debate. They tended to take rather a simplistic view. They supported the idea of the introduction of direct elections in 1988. Although they saw the opposing arguments this was not
editorially so interesting.
But
3.
Miss Dunn said that since indirectly elected members had come
into LegCo its style of work had changed. Intrinsically this was a good development. People in Hong Kong knew more about LegCo and had a better awareness of their rights and obligations as citizens. the new style of work had created new difficulties for the Hong Kong Government. It already faced the difficulty that it had a limited life up to 1997. And it was now confronted by amateur politicians with authority but no responsibility.
Officials came in for
criticism and could not defend themselves.
4.
Miss Dunn suggested that it would be possible for the Governor to appoint unofficial ExCo members with seats in LegCo as spokesmen in LegCo with responsibility for particular areas of government. They would speak for the government, but would not function as heads of government departments.
This was a modest
step, not to be made now but in the 1990s. She did not think that this limited sort of Ministerial system would necessarily lead to
CONFIDENTIAL