TNAG-0574-FCO40-707-Hong-Kong-annual-review-for-1975-1976 — Page 47

2.

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eventually leading to civic pride as a substitute

for sense of national identity. This takes time and

money. But I think that what has already been done,

and broad acceptance of the sincerity of the Government

in doing it, contributed to stability in the period

of stress from which Hong Kong is emerging. One of

the principal problems in the last two years has been

to find the resources to maintain credible progress on

this fourth leg, particularly in the massive social

programmes that form such a vital element in it, but

to the great credit of the Financial Secretary found

they were.

4.

At the core of this whole process of

community building, is the deployment of adequate

forces to master crime and thus restore ease of mind

to the population. In terms of social consciousness

and credibility of Government, fear of violent crime

in Hong Kong is the equivalent of fear of unemployment in

the United Kingdom. The difference is a matter of

Chinese as well as Hong Kong historical experience.

This explains the depth of feeling here about prevention

of the use of the death penalty here by parliamentary

opinion in the United Kingdom.

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