TNAG-1284-FCO40-1636-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 162

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4. THIS IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO OUR SECOND POINT. WE WONDER

WHETHER IN CERTAIN AREAS THERE MIGHT NOT BE PRESENTATIONAL

ADVANTAGE IN PUTTING FORWARD A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS

FOR PUBLIC CONSIDERATION AND DISCUSSION. THESE MIGHT FOR EXAMPLE INVOLVE VARIOUS OPTIONS ON THE SIZE OF THE DIFFERENT CONSTITUENT

ELEMENTS OF LEGCO OR ON THE SPEED OF CHANGE. TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OUR FIRST POINT ABOVE, IT MIGHT ALSO BE POSSIBLE TO INCLUDE AN OPTION WITH A NUMBER (INITIALLY SMALL) OF DIRECTLY ELECTED LEGCO MEMBERS, TO TEST WHETHER THIS WAS MORE OR LESS FAVOURED BY THE PUBLIC THAN PROPOSALS WHEREBY ALL MEMBERS WERE

INDIRECTLY ELECTED. SUCH AN APPROACH WOULD BE HELPFUL IN

PRE-EMPTING POSSIBLE CRITICISMS THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD MADE ITS

MIND UP IN ADVANCE AND THAT THE EVENTUAL WHITE PAPER WAS LIKELY

TO REPRODUCE UNCHANGED THE PROPOSALS IN THE GREEN PAPER.

5. OUR THIRD POINT RELATES TO AN APPARENT UNRESOLVED

CONTRADICTION IN REFERENCES TO THE PERIOD AFTER 1992. HAND THE PAPER IMPLIES (PARAGRAPH 7(D)) THAT THE SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BY 1992 WOULD THEN BE UNCHANGED IN THE IMMEDIATE RUN-UP TO 1997. ON THE OTHER HAND IT APPEARS TO HOLD OUT THE

PROSPECT OF CHANGE BEYOND 1992 IF PUBLIC OPINION FAVOURS THIS.

THIS PROSPECT IS DESCRIBED IN RELATION TO DIRECT ELECTIONS TO LEGCO (PARAGRAPH 27) AND A QUASI-MINISTERIAL SYSTEM (PARAGRAPH

46).

THIS MAY SIMPLY BE A MATTER OF DRAFTING. IT SEEMS

IMPORTANT THAT READERS OF THE PAPER SHOULD KNOW WHETHER OR NOT FURTHER EVOLUTION CAN BE ENVISAGED FOR THE PERIOD 1992-7, AND THAT ADVOCATES OF MORE RAPID OR EXTENSIVE CHANGE SHOULD NOT BE

ABLE TO CLAIM THAT THE PAPER LIMITS ITSELF TO GENERALISED

ASSURANCES ABOUT THE LONGER TERM.

6.

ON THE ONE

WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING OTHER COMMENTS ON THE TEXT:

(A) PARAGRAPH 7(C). THIS SEEMS RATHER IMPRECISE. THE POINT

PRESUMABLY IS TO EXTEND THE REPRESENTATIVE NATURE OF THE

SYSTEM WITHOUT INTRODUCING INSTABILITY AND FACTIONALISM.

(B) PARAGRAPH 27. PARAGRAPHS 2 AND 5 ABOVE REFER. THE

REFERENCES TO 'AT THE PRESENT TIME' AND 'LATER ON' NEED TO BE

CLARIFIED.

(C) PARAGRAPHS 33 AND 59. THE PROPOSITION TO RETAIN THE

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