TNAG-1311-FCO40-1673-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 82

Move to representative government

We must now look beyond the Agreement. The major task for the British government and the people of Hong Kong is to move to a representative form of government so that

eventually a government structure is in the hands of the

people of Hong Kong and is in place and in proper working

order well before 1997. We, the Members of UMELCO, support this move, but I hope you will agree with us, Prime

Minister, that we must not move at a pace and effect such radical changes that would jeopardize the very reason of Hong Kong's existence, that is to say, our social stability and our economic prosperity. To do this would be to put at

risk the overriding aim of the Joint Declaration, that is, the maintenance of stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. This point may be self-evident to you, Prime Minister, but many people in Hong Kong fear that pressure may come from

Members of the British Parliament who tend to think that the Westminster parliamentary style democracy should be transplanted in total to Hong Kong. And indeed, it should be transplanted quickly.

The political reality in Hong Kong is that it is to become

a Special Administrative Region of China. Its relationship with China will be a subsidiary one. What is being promised is a high degree of autonomy, not independence.

If Hong Kong embarks on policies which put at risk our prosperity and stability, there would no longer be any justification for China to give Hong Kong this special status. In other words, we cannot afford to run the risk of making mistakes, mistakes which may jeopardize our stability and prosperity and hence our usefulness to China. So, whilst we must clearly move towards representative form of government, must do this cautiously, gradually, step-by-step, and reviewing progress at every stage. Each stage in this move should be made on the basis of satisfactory progress.

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