TNAG-1351-FCO40-1792-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 151

4. TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES THE PLANS IN THE WHITE PAPER HAVE

BEEN BASED ON THREE PRINCIPLES. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) FIRST

PRINCIPLE BORNE IN MIND WAS THAT THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE BASED, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, ON OUR EXISTING INSTITUTIONS AND SHOULD PRESERVE

THEIR BEST FEATURES, INCLUDING THE WELL-ESTABLISHED PRACTICE OF GOVERNMENT BY CONSENSUS. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) SECOND PRINCIPLE

BORNE IN MIND WAS THAT THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE DEVELOPED GRADUALLY

AND PROGRESSIVELY: AND THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) THIRD PRINCIPLE

BORNE IN MIND AND VERY MUCH SO WAS THAT THE MORE REPRESENTATIVE

SYSTEM SHOULD NOT PUT AT RISK THOSE FACTORS WHICH HAVE SECURED

THE SOCIAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG,

-

-

5. IN THE RATHER LONGER TERM THE APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES

SHOULD ENABLE THREE OTHER OBJECTIVES TO BE REALISED. THAT IS TO

SAY, THE APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES SHOULD ENABLE US, (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) FIRST, TO DECIDE UPON THE CHANGES WHICH SHOULD BE MADE IN THE COMPOSITION, METHOD OF SELECTION AND POWERS OF THE

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) SECONDLY, TO DETERMINE

THE POSITION OF THE GOVERNOR IN RELATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE AND

EXECUTIVE COUNCILS: AND (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) THIRDLY, HOW BEST

TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORGANS OF THE GOVERNMENT MORE ACCOUNTABLE

TO THE LEGISLATURE.

6. THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE IS TO ENSURE THAT A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED DURING THE NEXT TWELVE YEARS WHICH WILL

SAFE-GUARD THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF OUR PRESENT SOCIETY AND WHICH

WILL ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION FOR HONG KONG FROM ITS PRESENT

STATUS AS A BRITISH DEPENDENT TERRITORY TO THAT OF A SPECIAL

ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA, WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY.'

7. IN PREPARING THE PLANS STATED IN THE WHITE PAPER THE PROVISIONS

OF THE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, WHICH PROVIDE, (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) INTER ALIA, FOR THE LEGISLATURE OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION TO BE CONSTITUTED

BY ELECTIONS, HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.

COMPOSITION OF NEW LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

8. SO THE WHITE PAPER DEFINES HOW A NEW STYLE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

SHOULD BE ASSEMBLED WITH EFFECT FROM THE 1985-86 SESSION. ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD, IN SEPTEMBER 1985, FOR 24 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WHO WILL HOLD OFFICE FOR THREE YEARS. TWELVE WILL BE ELECTED

BY AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE COMPOSED OF ALL MEMBERS OF DISTRICT BOARDS,

THE URGAN COUNCIL AND THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL AND TWELVE

BY SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES.

9. WITHIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE GROUPED INTO TEN GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES REPRESENTING ROUGHLY 500,000 PEOPLE EACH, WHILE MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL FORM TWO SPECIAL CONSTITUENCIES. EACH OF THESE CONSTITUENCIES WILL RETURN ONE MEMBER TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THUS THERE WILL BE 12 MEMBERS IN ALL ELECTED

BY THESE ''POPULIST'

CONSTITUENCIES

CONFIDENTIAL-2-

110.