in response to demands for increased participation both from civil servants themselves and from the community, by localising the service. The character of the population in Hong Kong is changing; it is now more educated, and perhaps less passive. The challenge, then, will be to meet these demands with institutions that permit greater accountability. The danger is, that failure to act will result in instability.
TJ
The same questions arise: Is this true? What has been done? What remains to be done?
5.7.
5.8.
The Hong Kong Government's position on this matter would appear to be clear. As we have seen, the 1984 Green Paper provided as follows:-
"The Hong Kong Government's main aims are to develop progressively a system of representative government at the central level which is more directly accountable to the people of Hong Kong and is firmly rooted in Hong Kong; to base a system on our existing institutions, as far as possible, and to preserve their best features; and to allow for further development later on.
And the 1984 White Paper reported that:-
"Public reaction was generally in favour of the aims of the Green
Paper and the gradual and progressive nature of the proposals made in it ... Many people supported the proposals as being a realistic and practical framework for the development of
representative government at the central level during the next few
years.
The relationship between accountability and other factors was referred to by Mr. Richard Luce, when he was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1984. He said the following in relation to points put by other MPs:-
"Both my hon. Friends referred to the question of accountability.
One important way in which we can contribute to the ability of the Hong Kong people to strengthen their autonomy and their confidence is through the evolution of representative institutions."
"Representativeness" and "accountability" are not quite the same issue, however, which is perhaps what makes the latter so very important today. Now I turn to some details.
In an address to the Hong Kong Management Association seminar on 11th September, 1985, entitled Towards the Democratisation of Hong Kong, Mr. John Walden, a former Secretary for Home Affairs, presented a plan on