7. AMING THE LOSERS, THERE WERE A FEW SOUR GRAPES, NOTABLY MRS. ELSIE TU (NEE ELLIOTT) WHO SUGGESTED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST HER, POSSIBLY GOVERNMENT INSPIRED. ANOTHER, PEGGY LAM, FELT THAT THE VOTING SYSTEM, WHICH COMBINED TWO DISTRICTS, FAVOURED THE CONDIDATE FROM THE LARGER DISTRICT.
PRESS COMMENT
8 PRESS COMMENT HAS BEEN GENERALLY FAVOURABLE. WHILE NOTING
THAT THERE HAD BEEN LITTLE PUBLIC INTEREST FROM THOSE NOT DIRECTLY
INVOLVED, MOST SEEMED SATISIFIED WITH THE ARRANGEMENTS MADE AND
THE FOCUS OF STORIES WAS ON THE NEW CANDIDATES AND THEIR VIEWS.
9. IN THE NON-COMMUNIST PAPERS, THE EMPHASIS WAS ON THE SUCCESSFUL HANDLING OF THE ELECTIONS WHICH ALL FELT AUGURED WELL FOR A SMOOTH DEVELOPMENT OF MORE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG. AGAIN, PAPERS NOTED THAT VOTERS HAD FAVOURED SOLID, STABLE CANDIDATES FROM THE PROFESSIONAL CLASSES.
10. THE COMMUNIST PAPERS INJECTED A NOTE OF CAUTION. WEN WAI PO NOTED THAT TECHNICAL ASPECTS SHOULD BE REVIEWED PARTICULARLY AS REGARDS THE PAIRING OF LARGE AND SMALL DISTRICTS. IF FURTHER NOTED THAT POLITICAL REFORMS INVOLVED EVERY ASPECT OF SOCIETY AND THE WELL-BING OF THE COMMUNITY. IF THE REFORMS WERE APPROPRIATE, THEY WOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY, A SMOOTH TRANSITION AS WELL AS CONTINUITY DURING THE CHANGEOVER. IF THEY WERE INAPPROPRIATE, THEY WOULD HAVE THE OPPOSITE RESULTS. THEREFORE, IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO CARRY OUT REFORMS GRADUALLY AND STEADILY.
11. TA KUNG PAO SAID THAT AS HONG KONG ENTERED THE TRANSITION PERIOD, PEOPLE'S CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE OF THE TERRITORY HAD STRENGTHENED. PEOPLE WERE CAUTIOUSLY WATCHING TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS TO DEVELOP A REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT WOULD BENEFIT HONG KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.
FOOTNOTE
CONFIDENTIAL
112
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