TNAG-1440-FCO40-1924-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 105

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8.

members

of

the Hong Kong Executive Council and

Legislative Council: representatives of bodies now forming the consultative colleges for the election

of members of functional constituencies in the

existing Legislative Council: and representatives of

other territory-wide bodies composed of local

inhabitants, including the Chairmen and former

Chairmen of organisations of standing in the

community.

A single contested election (option (a) above) would be unlikely to find favour in Hong Kong, at its present stage of development: it would be regarded as a major and fundamental change and as too likely to lead to highly charged adversarial politics and thus instability.

9.

a

Chief

An election of the Chief Executive by majority vote among members of the Legislature (option (b) above) would

be an easily understood method of producing Executive. It would confirm that he enjoyed the confidence

of the Legislature which would assist the conduct of Government. It would require no body additional to those referred to in the Joint Declaration to be established, and

is likely to be favoured by many in Hong Kong.

10.

no

A wider consultative college (option (c) above) would require the creation of a new body for which there is

provision in the Joint Declaration.

There is not

experience available in Hong Kong on which a judgement could be made of how it would operate and its novelty might lead to suspicion. On the other hand, it might find favour in Hong Kong providing a consensus could be achieved on how it should be composed and how it should operate, e.g.

whether it would meet in public or private: whether

candidates could be presented only with the support of

members of the college and if so how many: whether there would be an elctoral process to decide between candidates if no consensus could be reached on a single candidate,

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