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НКК 013/548/1
Mr Cortazzi
taz PS/PUS
HONG KONG DOMESTIC POLICIES:
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1.
THE GOVERNOR'S DESPATCH OF 6 MARCH
We yesterday received the Governor's promised second Despatch on Hong Kong which deals with the matters covered by Section IV and Annex C of the draft planning paper.
This is a
valuable contribution to the consideration of the whole Hong Kong problem and, as expected, is an able defence of the colonial government's domestic policies.
2.
You might care for a brief analysis of the points where there might be some difference of emphasis between the view from London and the view from Hong Kong, for which I am considerably indebted to Mr Hurst and to Mr Dart of the Economists Dept. It
seems easiest to tackle the subject in the order in which the various proposals for internal development are covered in Section IV of the draft planning paper.
Institutional
3.
This is covered in paragraphs 17-30 of the Governor's Despatch in which he quite correctly states that there is no difference between us on the impossibility of following the electoral path to democratic majority rule (paragraph 17); and also dismisses other part solutions involving elections e.g. election of a few members to LegCo (paragraph 18) or extending the responsibilities of the Urban Council, a body with limited powers partly elected on a very restricted franchise (paragraph 19). Although not stated in the planning paper, we are basically in agreement with these views but in paragraph 16 of Annex C we have tentatively suggested that we may have to look at the question again if Peking permits some sort of elections in Macao and if such a move had lessons for us in the very different circumstances of Hong Kong. I am bound to say that I do not regard the possibility of elections on a wide franchise likely in Macao; and if any elections take place, we should not feel bound necessarily follow suit. But domestic pressures in
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