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side, with the aim of ensuring as much continuity as possible. If the Council is to run its full 4-year term through 1997 to 1999, it will need to be consistent with the Basic Law. The simplest way to extend democratic representation in Hong Kong, which is what Hong Kong people want, would be to increase the number of directly-elected seats in LegCo. We have put this to the Chinese, but their position remains that the Basic Law cannot be changed which, if continuity is to be maintained, would mean no more than 20 directly-elected seats in 1995.
Governor's Proposals for 1995 LegCo Elections
13. In his inaugural address to the Legislative Council Mr Patten set out an alternative package of proposals, which respond to the strong desire in Hong Kong for more democracy, while remaining within the terms of the Basic Law.
They include: voting age to be reduced from 21 to 18; voting system to be single seat, single vote; creation of an Independent Boundary and Election Commission, franchise of functional constituencies to be greatly extended to include 2.7 million workforce; Election Committee (which under the Basic Law elects 10 LegCo members) to be composed of people who have themselves been elected (eg District Board members).
14.
The Chinese have made it clear they reject the general thrust of these proposals. During the Governor's visit to Peking, 20-23 October, the Chinese maintained that the changes proposed were in contravention of the Basic Law, and as such represented no basis for a smooth transition in 1997. They warned that, if the Governor persisted in introducing these changes, the Chinese would dismantle them in 1997 and replace them with their own arrangements. But they have suggested that discussion could continue in the JLG.
15. Meanwhile, the pro-China press in Hong Kong has kept up a steady stream of critical commentaries. They are short on specific arguments, and concentrate on the potentially damaging effects on Hong Kong of a row with China (chaos; no smooth transition in 1997) and personal attacks on the Governor (a foreigner; a dictator; only concerned with his own image; gambling with the future of Hong Kong). Their purpose is clearly to chip away at the remarkably high approval rating in Hong Kong, both for the Governor and for his LegCo speech. The response of people in Hong Kong to the Governor's proposals, apart from pro-China figures, has been very positive. Approval ratings are still well over 60 per cent, with an equally high number wanting the Governor to go ahead even without Peking's agreement.
Political Parties
16.
Indigenous political parties are relatively recent to Hong Kong; they came into being in order to contest the first
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