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22 March 1989]
THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
RT HON SIR GEOFFREY Howe, QC, MR ROBIN MCLAREN, CMG, and MR ALAN PAUL
Mr Rowlands
40. Would that include the Television Ordi- nance? In a list that was sent to us there was a list or ordinances to which you refer. The Television Ordinance gave the Government power to pre-cen- sor and prohibit all television programmes, includ- ing news and current affairs. Is that Ordinance to be abolished before 1997?
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) I cannot, without notice, give you an answer to that question, I am afraid.
41. It seems a rather powerful one. (Sir Geoffrey Howe) Perhaps you could ask the this aftemoon / Governor when he is here. this afternoon.
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Chairman: We shall do that. We are really begin- ning to touch on the whole question of the develop ment of representative government, on which there have been some very strong feelings expressed. Mr Shore?
Mr Shore
42. On the development of representative government, in your own memorandum you say this: "The arrangements envisaged in the White Paper (on Development of Representative Government...) will ensure that a representative system of government is well established before 1997." But the proposals put forward envisage, for 1991, a minority of directly elected members on the Urban and Regional Councils and only 10 directly elected members of the legislative Council. That is out of a total membership, as I understand it, of 57. Since no proposals beyond 1991 are included in the White Paper how do these ensure that a representative system of government is well estab- lished before 1997?
(Sir Geoffrey Howej The changes take place in 1991 and there is scope for further changes to take place between then and 1997. The draft Basic Law itself provides for a fully elected legislature by 1997, although only 15 of them directly elected under the draft Basic Law as it applies to 1997 and the rest indirectly elected. As you will remember, the Basic Law itself provides for continued pro- gress towards a fully representative government on the timescale there set out, so that the future is spelled out progressively in the draft Basic Law, where there is still further discussion to take place in relation to the trigger mechanism, referenda and
so on.
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43. So that I understand because it is rather
So that important, the draft Basic Law envisages, as you say, that there could be 15 directly elected members by 1997, but that 15 will still be out of, as I under- stand it, a total number of 80, as it would be at that stage. Does this not effectively put a limit to the development of democratic representative government in Hong Kong between now and 1997 if the draft Basic Law is saying that there shall be 15 as of that date? Does this not narrow enor- mously the possiblities of development from the present position or the position that is about to come into effect in 1991 and further developments
before 1997?
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[Continued
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) It depends where you are starting from. If you look at the position in 1985, that was when indirect elections of 24 members of for LegCo were first introduced. 1991 provides for 10 directly elected seats and a further 16 seats indirectly elected. The draft Basic Law provides for a wholly elected legislature by 1997 with the directly elected by then up to 27 per cent of the total compared with 18 per cent in 1991, so there is progress from here to 1991 and from there to what is in the Basic Law.
44. But the progress is really largely confined to the substitution of appointed members by those who are elected through these rather strange Hong Kong constituencies, but they are not directly
elected?
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) Yes, but one must again come back to the reality of Hong Kong history, that elections have only relatively recently become part of the scene there. The Indirect elections have Indic. formed an important part of the process when We an now are talking about LegCo elections, and what one is seeing, therefore, is an expansion of the indirect elections alongside a growth of the direct elections, so that you have a wholly elected legislature by 1997 with more than a quarter of it directly elected and That is a 50 per cent increase on the direct elections in 1991, So it is a process that is progressing.
• That
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45. You have explained now very clearly what is envisaged, but are we now to take it that there really is no more scope for further development of the electoral system and that this matter has now been basically decided by the present draft of the Basic Law, which outlines not only what is the to be the position of the legislative Council in the first term but in the second, third and fourth?
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) No, you will find that the Basic Law itself goes on to provide for changes in the structure of the legislative Council in later
terms.
46. Beyond 1997?
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) Beyond 1997, yes, and, I think, visualises the ultimate conclusion of univer- sal suffrage and election of all, but the timing of that is one of the matters which is still under dis- cussion by the Basic Law Drafting Committee. I would like to emphasise that last bit is one of the areas which is still under the most active dis- cussion, that is, the timing of the movement beyond 1997, including the part that may or may not be played in that by the possible referendum, by the possible views of the Chief Executive. That is very much under discussion in the Basic Law Drafting Committee.
Chairman
47. So there are no final views settled on the timetable as yet?
(Sir Geoffrey Howe) No, nor the triggers that will be in place or need to be pulled on that timetable.
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