TNAG-0220-FCO40-256-Constitutional-development-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 32

17.

Mr. Stewart referred to Sir Albert Rodrigues's remark about the

demand for constitutional change and asked which sections of the public

were in favour of it. Mr. Kan said that it was mainly expatriates,

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•

such people as lecturers in the University and people who came to

Hong Kong only for a short time. As had happened in the case of the

+

Urban Council, if you were to introduce one or two elected members in

the Council there would be pressuel for more and you would end up

with a wholly elected Council. Mr. Stewart said that in Britain we

tended to regard election as the normal, method of government. It had

been represented to him that the position in Hong Kong was different

but what was the precise objection to the growth of elected membership?

Mr. Kan said that more than half the population of Hong Kong came from

over the border. Most of them were in Hong Kong for convenience and

had only come there in the last ten to fifteen years.

Moreover in any

electoral system there would be bound to be a conflict between the

communist and the Taiwan Chinese.

18.

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Mr. Stewart said that he could see how a visitor to Hong Kong

might be able to find fault and to pinpoint areas for improvement.

The fact was that much had been achieved and the more you achieved,

the greater was the demand for improvement. They should not despair.

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CONFIDERMAL

7

Mr. Kan said that a lot of young people would be growing up and would, want power. Mr. Gordon interjected that the principal problem was

of course China. Mr. Saunders referring back to the question of

elected members said that he was reminded that when elections had been

first held in Singapore, the immediate result had been that in a

community which was predominantly Chinese and Malayan, eleven Indians

had been elected, because they were politically interested. Mr. Gordon

adde cha a point that had to be borne in mind was that if com... una

shaved boo fast and the price of labour became com

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employ re who had

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