719
British Nationality
[LORDS]
[THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY.] shall wish to register this by voting for the amendment in the name of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Elwyn-Jones, tonight. But if, and when, this Bill becomes law, we shall seek to help people to understand it and to claim their rights under it, until such time as I hope a new Bill, based on sounder principles, can be introduced. That is the democratic way. We will have no truck with those who are determined to make mischief and never to be satisfied.
I believe, however, that the Government can help very greatly if the administration of this legislation can be characterised by qualities of generosity and understanding. I have never for one moment ques- tioned the sincerity of either the Home Secretary or the noble Lord the Minister in their claim that they introduced this Bill to give people greater security. I hope that in drawing up future regulatons there will be the closest consultation with the Commission for Racial Equality and with the organisations which represent the ethnic minorities, and in using the channels offered by such bodies and their publications.
The Bill provides for a high degree of ministerial discretion-too much, some would say. But that can be used helpfully and I appeal to the Government to use it in that way. I ask them to do so particularly on behalf of our immigrant communities for whom the Churches have felt bound to speak because of our experience in inner cities to which I have referred. As we all know, there is a growing sense of alienation and of discrimination among this section of our people to which the indignity of unemployment has con- tributed and which those who unhelpfully talk about repatriation as a possible course of action have in- creased. This Bill has added to the sense of insecurity and rejection.
The test will come in the way in which the legislation is operated. I pray that Ministers, and the officials who operate in their name, will bear this in mind, for this is an area where sensitivity and humanity are desperately needed. We remain convinced that this is a defective Bill, but I hope that if the legislation can be carried out in that spirit that I have just mentioned our worst fears may in practice be mitigated.
4.33 p.m.
Lord Kadoorie: My Lords, on this, the first time that I have the honour to address your Lordships, my instructions are clear: "Your maiden speech may be informative but not controversial ". That I have chosen today, the occasion of the Third Reading of the British Nationality Bill, is coincidental and will not prejudice these instructions. Since Hong Kong is so far away from here that one cannot go any further without coming back, it is not too surprising to meet with misconceptions as to the past, present and future of this city.
In attempting to present the picture as seen through the eyes of one of its citizens—and an old
"China- hand -I trust that I may be forgiven for telling your Lordships much that you may already know. To understand the Hong Kong of today, and the im- portance of continued strong and friendly ties to China, one must look into the past. According to Britain, the United Kingdom owns the island of
Bill
720
Hong Kong and the Kowloon peninsula, while C owns the remainder of the colony but will not exercise effective sovereignty over it until the New Territories' lease expires on 1st July 1997. In China's view, the status of this unique territory is quite different. The agreements under which the island and the peninsula were ceded to the British were unequal treaties extorted by force from a weakened China incapable of de- fending its territories.
Today, de facto, Hong Kong has become the free zone of China under British management. It is a neutral point of contact between East and West. It enables China to regulate the flow of expertise required to fuel its four moderisations programme. From a devastated colony, said to have been the most looted city in the world, Hong Kong has risen like a phoenix from the ashes to become a prosperous industrial centre boasting of little unemployment. Today, with a population of over 5 million people in an area of fewer than 400 square miles, Hong Kong continues to fill its traditional role providing asylum for thousands of refugees, the majority of whom will have to be absorbed into the economy.
In no place in the world have the Government done so much to improve the lot of their people. This does not mean that we are living in Utopia-far from it. However, what has been achieved in the post-war period is remarkable. Hong Kong's unique value as a neutral point of contact between East and West leads me to believe that the future holds a real possibility of merging interests to mutual benefit. There is no doubt that China intends to use to fullest advantage the facilities and expertise of the West that are concentrated in this area, and that of all the Western powers the United Kingdom is best placed to assist in this process.
"Let us
Now I propose to move into the realm of, see ourselves as others see us ". How does a Hong Kong citizen, one who is born in Hong Kong or who has become British through naturalisation in Hong Kong, see the United Kingdom? We are puzzeld why a change in the political status of former colonies should create an apparent lack of self-confidence. Britain's assets are inherent in its people and the vast experience that they have gained in constructive management over the past century. It is very notice- able that so much of the initiative to preserve Britain's export trade comes from its citizens overseas. An example of this that has been apparent since the war is that Hong Kong has placed very substantial orders in this country. For a new power station alone, orders have been placed in the United Kingdom which, over an eight-year period, will amount to £2 billion and will provide about 7,000 jobs for seven years in the Midlands and the North-West-areas which I understand are in much need of employment.
To many Hong Kong citizens the proposal that we are no longer to share a common citizenship with those of the United Kingdom and colonies gives an impression of rejection, a feeling that at this important stage in our history Britain is distancing itself from Hong Kong and that we are losing our Britishness. The majority in Hong Kong are satisfied with their present status. They are not seeking refuge or the right to live and compete with your working population. We in Hong Kong do not regard the words "United Kingdom
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.