G.F. 323
B.
(a)
(e)
CONFIDENTIAL #
機密
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Most people were no longer impressed by the recent tactics of dissent and they only had vague idea of what the issues were all about. Many did not know or bother to follow the outcome. They simply assumed that the Government had changed its decision or granted acceptable con- cessions, or that the dissenters had given up the fight. Most people had no balanced view of the issue; they normally heard the complainant's side of the case in news reports on the television but the Government's side of the story was rarely
stated.
Since the Police took no action against protesting groups provided they remained orderly and civil servants and even policemen themselves had taken part it was thought that such activities were not
unlawful.
Attitude of various social groups
(a) Traditional-minded, elderly people regard petitions
to the Governor in the same spirit as petitions to Viceroys, Inspectors General, or Prefects in pre- 1911 China, when subjects seeking redress for wrongs suffered used to beat the big drum at the entrance hall of the yamen (2), or intercept the procession of a senior official in the street to present a petition ( 5 ). Such people look upon the Governor as the Supreme Authority for redressing civil wrongs in Hong Kong. (b) Low-income groups believed such action to be an
effective way of fighting their case. The Governor was widely known to be sympathetic towards the sufferings of the underdog, and it was thought that his personal intervention could ensure that justice was done. When people ignorant about Government policy and law were adversely affected by Government action, they would readily believe the agitator's word that they had been unfairly treated, and that, unless they did something dramatic to attract public attention and support, there was no
/hope
CONFIDENTIAL
機密
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