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But the Survey Office Report also showed that
opinion in the community is sharply divided on whether
direct elections should be introduced in 1988 or later.
While there have been differing views on the
interpretation of the Survey results and on whether the
balance of opinion is for or against 1988, the fact
remains that there is a very real division of view on this
issue. No amount of argument which has been raised on
this subject can detract from this basic fact. The
division of views has been clearly demonstrated in debates
in this Council, in the Municipal Councils and in the District Boards. While signature campaigns, not
surprisingly, were one-sided, submissions from groups and
individuals also indicate sharply divided views and the
much discussed public opinion surveys show that views are
far from unanimous on the question of timing.
сар
In the light of this diversity of views within
the community, the government has considered very
carefully whether it would be right to go ahead to
introduce direct elections in 1988.
Exop
The introduction of direct elections into the
Legislative Council of government is a very significant
制 step. When we take this step, we must be quite certain
that we carry with us the whole-hearted support of the
community as a whole. We believe that if we were to
proceed with direct elections in 1988 we would have no