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7. We have not been able to trace any subsequente references to democratic consultation, until the phrase began to be used in the Hong Kong context. From the above account, it would seem that the difficulty seen by some Hong Kong people of marrying "democratic consultation" with the electoral process is not a major problem. The Chinese concern seems to be with the general lack of an electoral tradition in Hong Kong which might mean that large numbers of people would not bother to take part in the electoral process. "Democratic consultation" would be a means of drawing in those who might otherwise not be interested. This of course could have sinister connotations but it need not necessarily do so. Democratic consultation, if it is confined to the selection of candidates, seems no more "undemocratic" than other means of selecting candidates.
cc:
HKD; FED.
CONFIDENTIAL
نل مسل
J E Hoare
Far Eastern Section
Research Department
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