TNAG-0362-FCO40-408-Constitutional-development-of-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 19

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Wednesday, October 31, 1973

CALL FOR DIRECT HONG KONG REPRESENTATION IN U.K. PARLIAMENT

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The Hon. Dr. S.Y. Chung today called on the government to consider

nominating prominent local residents for appointment as life peers in the

House of Lords to speak on Hong Kong's behalf.

"It is desirable that the Hong Kong case should be put directly

and forcibly to the Ministers in H.M. Government for their consideration

and that the people in Hong Kong should have direct access to the supreme

bodies in H.M. Government to voice their approval or disapproval of H.M.

Government's policy on Hong Kong," he said.

Speaking in the Legislative Council debate, Dr. Chung said he

understood that there were no constitutional difficulties for Hong Kong's

representation in the House of Lords, and he noted that the West Indies,

before its independence, also had direct representation in the Upper House

of Parliament,

Recently, he said, matters concerning Hong Kong had been debated in

Parliament without any direct participation from Hong Kong and problems

and issues about Hong Kong had been raised in both Houses "without someone

from Hong Kong to put them into proper perspective."

Occasionally, he observed, there were cases of conflicting interest

between the Hong Kong authorities and the British government.

Hong Kong was a Golony and government officials were basically

members of the U.K. civil service and, strictly speaking, were under the

directives of Whitehall, he added.

/"Despite

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