TNAG-1443-FCO40-1927-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 254

GRS 400

CONFIDENTIAL

FM JAKARTA

Confidential

HKKON

TO DESKBY 20083OZ FCO

TELNO 426

OF 19102OZ OCTOBER 86

405

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

011/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 31 OCT 1986

DESK OFFICER

INFO DESKBY 20010OZ HONG KONG

INDEX

399

403

REGISTRY

PA

Action Taken

409

See

FOLLOWING FOR HUM HKD FROM WILSON

مانم

YOUR TELS TO HONG KONG NOS 2299, 2300, 2319, HONG KONG TELMOS 3441 AND 3442 : PAPER ON REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

1.

I AM CONTENT WITH THE WAY THIS PAPER IS DEVELOPING IN THE

TELEGRAPHIC DISCUSSION BETWEEN YOU AND HONG KONG SUBJECT TO THE

FOLLOWING COMMENTS:

1) PARA 21 OF FCO TELN 2300: WORTH MAKING IT CLEAR THAT WE ARE

COMMITTED TO INCLUDE THE SUBJECT OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN THE

1987 REVIEW SEMICLN

11) PARA 23 OF PAPER: THE PRESENT WORDING MIGHT CAUSE MINISTERS

TO UNDERESTIMATE CHINESE EXPRESSIONS OF CONCERN ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS. SUGGEST YOU EMPHASISE THAT, ALTHOUGH, AS THE PAPER POINTS OUT, THEY HAVE SAID THEY ARE NOT OPPOSED IN PRINCIPLE, THEY HAVE

LONG BEEN HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS ABOUT DIRECT ELECTIONS. THEIR CONCERN ABOUT THE EFFECTS SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS,

PROBABLY AS A RESULT OF THE CONFRONTATION IN LEGCO OVER DAYA BAY.

YOU COULD NOTE THAT BUSINESS LEADERS IN CONTACT WITH THE CHINESE

TEND TO OPPOSE DIRECT ELECTIONS AND TO SAY SO. ALSO, THEIR OWN SUB-COMMITTEE DRAFTING THE RELEVANT SECTION OF THE BASIC LAW HAS, AT PRESENT, A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY AGAINST DIRECT ELECTIONS SENICLN

111) PARA 31 OF PAPER AS REDRAFTED IN HONG KONG TELNO 3442: IN

ADDITION TO THE POINT MADE BY HONG KONG ABOUT CHINESE OPPOSITION TO

DIRECT ELECTIONS CAUSING MORE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT THEM AS A SYMBOL

OF QUOTE AUTONOMY UNQUOTE, WORTH NOTING THAT, FOR OTHERS, CHINESE

OPPOSITION WILL CAUSE THEM TO TURN AGAINST DIRECT ELECTIONS EVEN

IF THEY MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN MODERATELY IN FAVOUR. THE RESULT

IS INCREASING POLARISATION SEMICLN

IV) LIKE YOU I HAVE NOTED THE IMPORTANT JUDGEMENT IN THE

PENULTIMATE SENTENCE OF THE REDRAFT OF PARA 31 IN HONG KONG TELNO

3342. SINCE SUCH JUDGEMENTS CAN ONLY SENSIBLY BE MADE BY THOSE ON

THE SPOT, I SUGGEST YOU MAKE

CAR THAT THIS IS THE GOVERNOR'S

VIEW SEMICLN

C

CLEAR

Contigential

|v)