TNAG-1284-FCO40-1636-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 49

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27. SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT DIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, ON A UNIVERSAL FRANCHISE, BASED ON EITHER CONSTITUENCIES OR A SINGLE LIST, SHOULD BE INTRODUCED NOW. DIRECT

ELECTIONS HAVE EMERGED OR BEEN INTRODUCED AS A STANDARD FEATURE

OF THE GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM IN MANY COUNTRIES WHERE THEY HAVE

PROVED WELL SUITED TO THE SOCIETY THEY SERVE. THEY HAVE NOT,

HOWEVER, BEEN UNIVERSALLY SUCCESSFUL AS A MEANS OF ENSURING STABLE

REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. IN SOME CASES THE POLITICAL PREPARATION

FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS HAS BEEN INADEQUATE: IN OTHERS THEIR FORM DID

NOT ALLOW THEM TO TAKE ROOT IN THE CUSTOMS OF THE HOST SOCIETY: AND IN CONSEQUENCE THEY HAVE NOT ENDURED OR HAVE FAILED TO RECEIVE ADEQUATE SUPPORT FROM THE POPULATION AT LARGE. IN THE CASE OF

HONG KONG IT IS CLEARLY ESSENTIAL THAT THE STABILITY AND RELATIVE

HARMONY OF THE COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN BUILT UP OVER A LONG PERIOD, SHOULD BE PRESERVED, PARTICULARLY AT THIS TIME: THAT THE

SPECIAL POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: AND THAT FULL WEIGHT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO REPRESENTATION OF

THE ECONOMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SECTORS OF HONG KONG SOCIETY WHICH

ARE ESSENTIAL TO FUTURE CONFIDENCE AND PROSPERITY. DIRECT ELECTIONS

WOULD RUN THE RISK OF A SWIFT INTRODUCTION OF ADVERSARIAL POLITICS,

AND WOULD INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT OF INSTABILITY AT A CRUCIAL TIME.

HONG KONG HAS HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF DIRECT OR INDIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE CENTRAL ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT, AND CONSTITUENCY BASED ELECTIONS EVEN AT REGIONAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL ARE A RELATIVELY

NEW FEATURE OF POLITICAL LIFE IN THE TERRITORY.

28. IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS SHOULD

BE INTRODUCED, A FEW AT A TIME, INTO THE COUNCIL. SINCE IT WOULD

NOT BE POSSIBLE TO TREAT SOME PARTS OF HONG KONG DIFFERENTLY FROM

THE OTHERS IN THE MATTER OF REPRESENTATION, MEMBERS WOULD HAVE TO BE ELECTED ON THE BASIS OF EITHER A SINGLE LIST OR CONSTITUENCIES COVERING THE WHOLE OF THE TERRITORY. IN THE LATTER CASE, IF THERE WERE ONLY A FEW MEMBERS IN THE INITIAL STAGES, THEIR CONSTITUENCIES

WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY LARGE INDEED. SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD THEREFORE NOT

ONLY RUN THE RISK OF INTRODUCING DIRECT ELECTIONS PREMATURELY, BUT WOULD DO SO ON THE BASIS OF CONSTITUENCIES SO LARGE THAT THE

ABILITY OF ONE MEMBER TO REPRESENT THEM WOULD BE CALLED SERIOUSLY

INTO QUESTION.

29. THUS IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE AT THE PRESENT TIME, ALTHOUGH IN DUE COURSE, AS THE POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG EVOLVE, FURTHER THOUGHT WILL BE GIVEN TO THIS POSSIBILITY, IF POPULAR SUPPORT FOR THE

IDEA DEVELOPS.

30. EVEN THE INTRODUCTION OF A SYSTEM UNDER WHICH A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ARE ELECTED INDIRECTLY BY AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND BY FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES WILL BE A MAJOR CHANGE IN

THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG. IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR PEOPLE TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM AND TO DEVELOP EXPERIENCE

IN ITS OPERATION. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT IT IS PROPOSED TO

INTRODUCE THE NEW SYSTEM PROGRESSIVELY.

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