6.
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CONFIDENTIAL
Both Mr Wong and Mr So expressed the view that the deliberate act of choice in joining and continuing in Government Service and the political nature of their jobs argued for special consideration. Miss Shum argued that the private sector was better placed to establish other overseas connections and Mr Ho referred to the restrictions on Government Servants' travel. The group felt that the public would accept that Crown Servants were a special case deserving special treatment. Furthermore, the Nationality Bill had failed to interest the public at large in Hong Kong, other than a very small highly educated and articulate segment. Thus, some special treatment of Crown Servants in the Bill would probably not attract much attention in Hong Kong
and should not be divisive.
7.
He
The Governor said he understood local officers' unease and expressed a feeling of great diffidence in offering any advice to them as he, personally, was not affected. went on to outline the political problems in the UK which had prompted the Bill and the atmosphere in which it would be debated. It seemed clear that the Opposition would try to make capital out of the Bill in order to gain immigrant votes and this would stiffen the Government's resistance to amendments of any sort. In this situation, he felt that the best chance of success was in a low posture, pressing through the Foreign Office for a Home Office introduced
amendment.
8.
The Governor proposed that the amendment should comprise two parts', an amendment to Schedule I subsection 1(3) removing the exclusion of Crown Servants from Dependent Territories and another removing the residential qualification for this group.
In his view, the first was the most
important and he would push to the limit on this. If it was a question of either one or the other then the second could be dropped to be raised again at a later date.
9.
The Governor again stressed that he had no intention of putting pressure on any of the group in a matter of such great personal importance to them.
CONFIDENTIAL
If he should fail,
/he...
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