TNAG-1443-FCO40-1927-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 141

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COMFORTABLY SPANNED THAT DATE (PERHAPS 1995-2000). IF THE POST

OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR WAS CREATED AS EARLY AS 1992 THERE MIGHT BE AN

INITIAL INCUMBENT, APPOINTED BY HMG, WHO WOULD SEE THROUGH THE

FIRST STAGE OF DELEGATION OF POWERS. THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

(DESIGNATE) WOULD NOT BE FORMALLY SELECTED UNTIL LATER. HIS

CHOICE WOULD NEED CHINESE ACQUIESCENCE. NEARER 1997 THERE WOULD

THUS NEED TO BE PROVISION FOR THE APPOINTMENT OR RE-APPOINTMENT

OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR FOR A FURTHER TERM WHICH WOULD MERGE INTO

THE OFFICE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE IN 1997. THIS COULD PERMIT THE

CANDIDATE IDENTIFIED IN 1992 TO BE RE-CONFIRMED IN OFFICE, IF HE

HAD DEMONSTRATED HIS ABILITY TO TAKE ON THE JOB, OR ALTERNATIVELY

REPLACED BY A MORE SUITABLE CANDIDATE.

B.

3.

THE POSITION OF THE POST IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE POST OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR SHOULD BE

CREATED AS THE EVENTUAL POSITION FOR THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

(DESIGNATE). HE WOULD FIT IN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HIERARCHY

BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR AND THE CHIEF SECRETARY. HIS POST WOULD BE

A TEMPORARY ADDITIONAL ONE, CREATED FOR POLITICAL RATHER THAN

STRICTLY ORGANISATIONAL PURPOSES. THE NEXT ECHELON OF POSTS IN

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THOSE OF THE CHIEF SECRETARY, FINANCIAL

SECRETARY, AND ATTORNEY GENERAL, WOULD CONTINUE ESSENTIALLY

UNCHANGED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER 1997.

C.

4.

THE POWERS OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO DEFINE MOST CAREFULLY THE POWERS

OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE), AND TO ENSURE

THAT HE WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE POWERS EXERCISABLE BY THE

GOVERNOR.

(I)

5.

DELEGATION OR DEVOLUTION OF POWERS

POWER COULD BE VESTED IN THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/CHIEF

EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE) BY DELEGATION OR BY DEVOLUTION. (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) DELEGATION WOULD INVOLVE THE ALLOCATION OF POWERS

WITH THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW THEM AT ANY TIME. THE BASIC

INSTRUMENTS UNDER WHICH POWER WAS CONFERRED ON THE GOVERNOR WOULD

NOT BE AMENDED. (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) DEVOLUTION WOULD INVOLVE

A MORE SUBSTANTIVE TRANSFER OF POWERS, PROBABLY BY THE LETTERS

PATENT WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE FURTHER AMENDED FOR THE GOVERNOR TO

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