TNAG-0576-FCO40-709-Visits-of-UK-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 124

CONFIDENTIAL

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THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SECTION 3(4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958

however the

membership of the Legislative Council was broadened, the system of appointing members, which would have to continue, would mean that

It was it could never become a properly representative body. important, therefore, not to claim too much for the changes which were evidently contemplated.

3. Mr James Wu attached less importance to new members having an effective working knowledge of English. However, he did not see how new members of the kind apparently envisaged would be able to make the necessary sacrifices of time and money in order to parti-

This cipate effectively in the work of the Legislative Council. point was taken up strongly by Sir Y K Kan. How, for example, he asked could a manager of a small factory put in the very considerable number of hours of work which membership of UMELCO involved? Unlike some of the present unofficial members, who found it difficult enough anyway to do their outside jobs, such a person would not be in a position to delegate his job to someone else in order to carry out his duties as a member of the Legislative Council. Doubts were also expressed by others whether new members could be expected to contribute to the whole range of work which came before the Legislative Council. Dr S Y Chung, who has publicly gone on record in the Legislative Council in favour of some evolution in its membership, was less inclined than others to attach too much

/importance

CONFIDENTIAL