officials. The next Legislative Council due in 1995 will be
all-elected, with no appointed or official members.
The Governor's Constitutional Proposals
12. The Governor announced a package of constitutional
proposals to the Hong Kong Legislative Council on 7 October
1992, including proposals for the 1994/5 election
arrangements. They represented his best judgement as to how
to meet growing demand in Hong Kong for more democracy while
remaining within the terms of the 1984 Joint Declaration and
the Basic Law, China's constitution for Hong Kong post-1997.
13.
Mr Patten's electoral proposals include:
voting age to be reduced from 21 to 18;
voting system in geographical constituencies to be single seat, single vote;
creation of Independent Boundary Election Commission;
franchise of functional constituencies to be greatly
extended
Election Committee (which will elect 10 Legislative Council members) to be composed of people who have themselves been
elected.
14. The Chinese reacted with hostility, mounting a strident
propaganda campaign against the Governor personally and putting pressure on businessmen and Legislative Council members. They insisted the Governor should withdraw his
proposals, and refused to discuss them or to suggest any alternatives. China maintains that the proposed changes contravene the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law, and
agreements reached between us in Jan/Feb 1990. We do not accept those claims.
15. We said repeatedly, from the outset, that we were ready
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