TNAG-0002-FCO40-38-Appointments-to-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1968 — Page 73

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

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to react quickly to the continuing shenanigans in the Communist schools. This, and the fact that the Department still has a great deal to sort out, makes me reluctant to see him wasting his time on other people's business in Executive Council: and on balance therefore I recommend that TENG stay on for one more year.

Unofficial Members

5.

RODRIGUES, CLAGUE, GORDON and SAUNDERS are all valuable members for their special experience or particular interests, and I would not wish to change them. One or other of them tends to be away a fair proportion of the time, and in their sub- stitutes we therefore get a reasonable spread of fresh opinion.

6.

Nor would I wish to change CY KWAN,

FUNG Ping-fan or YK KAN. Kwan is the careful, thoughtful lawyer and the main spokesman for this side of the Council. His advice is always valuable, and usually to the point. Fung is the most "Chinese of the Unofficial Members: one who says little but is greatly respected by the Chinese community at large and can be relied upon to reflect majority Chinese opinion. He is I believe retiring from business soon and may not, in fact, stay the full course on Council. Kan is an able man with strong opinions and a strong will, not afraid to be highly critical when he gets his teeth into anything. As will appear below, I want him to lead the Unofficials in Legislative Council and I need him on Executive Council not only for his own qualities but also to act as the desirable link between the two Councils. He will be the only link - I would have preferred two such, but cannot conveniently manage it this time.

7.

FS LI is a different matter. He has really not been a great success on Council, and his rather disorderly private life has laid him open to some personal criticism from his fellow-members. He has rubbed them up the wrong way on other matters also. Furthermore I remember, when he was last appointed, that Mrs. Hart was anxious to get him off Councils because of the poor opinion she had formed of him. I therefore got him (not without some hurt feelings on his part which I expect will shew one of these days) to write to me and say that he did not wish to be reconsidered for Executive Council, and that he wished to resign from Legislative Council