7447 D073840 101M 8/74 Cr.P.C. 839/3
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bela
critics unable to appreciate the "Chinese dimension"
or accept the absence of normal progress towards
democratic institutions. Moreover if too much were
claimed for these institutional changes we would risk
misleading the Chinese into. reading too much into them.
But if carefully handled these institutional changes.
will be beneficial to social cohesion in Hong Kong.
It is furthermore important that changes in the
Legislative Council should not be of a character to
prejudice the effectiveness of the Councils as
instruments for implementing the Government's social
and development programmes. This argues in favour of
appointing persons, from whatever. background or income
group, capable of taking a broad and progressive view
of the colony's requirements, as well as of ensuring
that the interests of workers as well as of
employers are protected. There may be opposition
in Hong Kong to changes even of this nature and the
process will need to be evolutionary rather than revo-
lutionary in characters, but if the Governor manages to
effect the first step in June without difficulty
(by the appointment of some members drawn from a
wider social bacground than heretofore) we can
consider what further steps will be possible over the
next few years.
32
A. There is considerable pressure from HMG's
supporters, particularly in the TUC, in favour of an
appointment to the Legislative Council of persons with
a trade unions background, though it is accepted that
/they
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