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29.
I understand the dilemma.
Can we draw any comfort at all from
the words you carefully used in your White Paper, "introduce 18 directly
elected seats in 1991 and at least 20 in 1995"?
Can we assume from this
that there is in the minds of the Government at least the possibility of
going beyond 20 in 1995?
(Mr Maude) Yes, indeed. We very carefully
30.
Put it in that way?
(Mr Maude)
as you said, expressed it in that way and we have not
made a firm announcement of what the arrangements for 1995 will be. I do
believe it is important that the arrangements particularly for 1995 should
match the arrangements in the Basic Law, for the reasons I have just
outlined, but we certainly do not rule out the possibility that there may,
in the meantime, be changes to the Basic Law which make a higher number
than 20 directly elected seats for 1995 a possibility. I do not think now
is the time, this side of the 1991 elections, to seek to achieve that. I
think what needs to be done is for those elements to be pursued in a
sensible and responsible way to see that direct elections are not
disruptive or a hostile factor. They may be an uncomfortable factor
sometimes but they are not a disruptive factor and I think Hong Kong
intends to make a success of that process to provide the best possible
backdrop after that for going back to significant changes to the Basic Law
which would allow a faster rate of progress.
31.
On the important and related question of the opinion of the
people of Hong Kong, I think we took the view that it would be very helpful
if there were a sort of Green Paper on the electoral law and the content of
it for discussion. How do you intend to go about assessing the views of
the people of Hong Kong on the programme that has been put forward?
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