TNAG-1367-FCO40-1813-Hong-Kong-Legislative-Council-(Powers-and-Privileges)-Bill-1-1985 — Page 16

CONFIDENTIAL

years ago would

Kong

mostly not have believed that British Hong

would come to an end in 1997.

suddenly confronted by a need to face up

The population

is

to realities which

they have always been able comfortably to put

put out of their minds. The combination of a high level of genuine concern, an d even fear, with political inexperience and naïvité is a

volatile mix.

4.

The new mood will be

EXCO, LEGCO and

government.

reflected in the organs of

UMELCO in the past have been

relatively compliant tools. Appointment to them has been

an accolade for those who were considered to have served

Hong Kong well, rather than a route towards the achievement

of political ambitions. They have tended to be politically

rather homogenous, and members have had no incentive to

rock

the

boat.

A11

this

is

LEGCO will be

changing.

From

September, half of

indirectly) and will

large number of members

specific constituencies (functional and local).

element must affect the appointed members in LEGCO and, via

UMELCO, those in EXCO as well.

elected (albeit

thus for the first time include a

identified with and accountable to

This new

Unofficials on both

bodies will face different political pressures, and they

will often be pulled in a direction which is inconvenient

to HMG and the Hong Kong Government.

The traditional government attitude in Hong Kong

5.

The present structure of the

the Hong Kong Government is a

constitutionally archaic colonial model, and many of the

attitudes which were traditional in earlier colonial days

survive. The tradition of "firm government"

is very strong: too often this can

insensitive to the opinions of the

personal impression of the Hong Kong

from contacts

over

administration which

me an

in particular

governed.

government

My own

Government, derived

the past 20

years, is of an

while benevolent in a paternalistic

sense and extremely conscientious about its duties is

pretty autocratic and at times both insensitive to an d

intolerant of criticism.

This said, there have been

CONFIDENTIAL