TNAG-1392-FCO40-1864-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 107

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people of the territory and

i s more directly

accountable to the people of Hong Kong. The White

paper

of

further

proposed

the community for

that

constitutional

development should be based on Hong Kong's existing institutions and also allowed, subject to the wishes

further development. Publication of the White Paper was preceded by a two

month period of public consultation during which the

Government received a wide range of, mainly

favourable, comment on the aims of

the Paper. The

need to preserve the prosperity and stability of the

territory by ensuring that constitutional change

whilst progressive was also gradual, was widely recognised and the proposals were considered by many

to be a realistic and practical framework for the

development of

representative government at the

central level.

7.

The first elections to the Legislative Council

(LEGCO) take place on 26 September; they will be

indirect. 24 members, out of a new Council of 56,

will be chosen, 12 of them by an

electoral college

of District Board, Urban Council and Regional

Council (ie local government level) members and 12

by functional constituencies representing the main

professional, commercial and other groups.

The

remaining 32 members will continue

to be appointed

a result the

There has been

by the Governor. 64 candidates have been nominated

for election to the 24 seats and as

elections will be keenly contested.

considerable and encouraging interest among the Hong

Kong public and media in the elections.

8.

A review of

of progress

towards representative

this year,

Government will be carried out in 1987. In April of

Sir Y K Pao expressed, quite forcefully,

to Sir Percy Cradock the view that movement towards representative government in Hong Kong was too fast:

indicated that this was the Chinese view. We

he

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