Mr Murray
Mr Cortazzi
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
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Nolas is
GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG
1. Sir S Y Chung, the senior Unofficial Member in the Hong Kong Legislative Council, called in at the Office last week and I took him to lunch. He is probably the most 'advanced' Chinese member of LegCo in his social thinking and has been a consistent supporter of liberal legislation in the labour and social fields. I have reported separately on other parts of our conversation.
2. Sir S Y was concerned about the succession to Sir Murray MacLehose as Governor. Sir Murray has been a very successful Governor and has been able to introduce a wide ranging series of necessary social and economic reforms. Sir S Y was concerned that the new Governor should be a man able to continue with this progress.
3.
According to Sir S Y the Governor should ideally be a man who has had previous contact with Hong Kong and who knows the Hong Kong scene well (and is also known to the Hong Kong policy-makers) but should not be a person who has served in Hong Kong and thus liable to have been affected by the attitudes of the Hong Kong establishment.
4. Sir S Y realized that there was a possibility that the post might be filled by a political appointee. He said that although he was a politician he thought it would be better if the new Governor had an official rather than a political background so that he would not have a public commitment before his arrival to a political programme. Such a commitment (either way) would make his job more difficult.
9 January 1978
STAFF IN CONFIDENCE
JA B Stewart
Hong Kong & General Dept
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