accordance with paragraph 3(12) of the Joint Declaration, be stipulated in the Basic Law to be passed by the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. The Basic Law, which is in the process of being drafted, may also specify the method or methods of election which will be used fhe constitution of the legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after 1997.
100. This provision clearly has implications for the composition of the legislature in the longer term and, in particular, for the future of the present groups of Official and Appointed Members. Suggestions have been made, in the context both of the development of representative government and of the drafting of the Basic Law, that new forms of election to the legislature should be considered in addition to, or as a further development of, the existing functional constituency and electoral college systems. These are now discussed.
Direct elections
101. One suggestion is that a proportion of the members of the legislature should be directly elected on a universal franchise. A similar suggestion was discussed in the 1984 Green Paper. The 1984 White Paper concluded that further consideration would be given to the issue in the 1987 Review.
102. Since the publication of the 1984 White Paper, opinions have continued to be expressed for and against the introduction of direct elections, although a substantial part of the community has not openly expressed a view.
103. Those who favour the introduction of a directly elected element into the Legislative Council believe that it would produce Members who are able to speak directly for the people of Hong Kong, and thus better ensure that the views and interests of Hong Kong people are being taken into account when important decisions are made. They see direct elections as the best means of securing a government which is truly representative and accountable, and thus able to carry out its policies with the support of the majority of Hong Kong people.
104. Others, however, believe that direct elections might be manipulated by small, highly-motivated groups to secure the election of candidates not generally representative of the whole community, especially if the turnout of voters were low. Some point out that direct elections might lead to confronta- tional politics, and perhaps also to the emergence of political parties. In their view such developments could undermine internal stability as well as overseas confidence in the territory's future, thus endangering its economic prosperity.
105. Timing. Some have argued that, since the present systems for elections to the Legislative Council have been in place for less than two years, it is premature to contemplate introducing another form of election even if changes are to be made later. Some have also argued that no change should be made until the
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