TNAG-1590-FCO40-2175-Appointment-of-Sir-David-Wilson-as-new-Governor-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 135

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TOP GORY Q DIS

GRS 470

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 316

OF 261045Z JANUARY 87

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING-

CONFIDENTIAL

52

HIKA 400|1

NRY

2 8 JAN 1987

V

on Taken

YOUR TELNO 191: APPOINTMENT OF SIR DAVID WILSON: MEDIA COVERAGE

1.

THE ARTICLES MENTIONED IN PARA 3 OF TUR WERE PUBLISHED IN

MING PAO UNDER THE BY-LINE OF SAN WEISZE, CCC NUMBER 2450/4850/1834

(NOT SZE WEISAN AS REPORTED IN OUR TELNO 232).

2.

IN A TWO-PART ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON 25 AND 26 DECEMBER 1986,

THE WRITER QUESTIONED THE HKG'S MOTIVES IN INTRODUCING POLITICAL REFORMS, AND POINTED OUT THAT THE 24 ELECTED SEATS IN LEGCO ALREADY REPRESENTED 42 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL. A SLIGHT CHANGE, HOWEVER MILD, WOULD BRING ABOUT A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE TO THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE IN HK. HE NOTED THAT UNDER THE COLONIAL LAWS VALIDITY ACTS, A LEGISLATURE WITH HALF OF ITS SEATS RETURNED BY ELECTION WOULD, BY DEFINITION, BECOME A REPRESENTATIVE LEGIS- LATURE AND WOULD HAVE THE POWER OF LEGISLATION. LEGCO WITHOUT A

50 PER CENT ELECTED ELEMENT, AS AT PRESENT, ONLY HAD THE POWER TO

APPROVE LEGISLATION FOR THE GOVERNOR TO ENACT. A MILD CHANGE, SUCH

AS REDUCING THE NUMBER OF APPOINTED SEATS FROM 22 TO 17, AND

INCREASING THE NUMBER OF SEATS RETURNED THROUGH FUNCTIONAL CONSTIT-

VENCIES FROM 12 TO 17 WHILE LEAVING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SEATS IN LEGCO UNCHANGED, WOULD SWITCH THE POWER OF ENACTING LAWS FROM

THE GOVERNOR TO LEGCO. SAN WEISZE SAID SUCH A CHANGE DID NOT LIE

WITHIN THE SCOPE OF ADMINISTRATION AS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT

DECLARATION. HE SAID HKG SHOULD THEREFORE MAINTAIN THE EXISTING

SYSTEM AND SHOULD ONLY MAKE APPROPRIATE ADJUSTMENTS AFTER THE BASIC LAW WAS PROMULGATED IN 1990 IN ORDER TO ENSURE CONVERGENCE.

3. IN ANOTHER ARTICLE IN MING PAO ON 8 JANUARY 1987, SAN WEISZE SAID THOMAS HARDING AND DAVID WILSON WERE THE KEENEST SUPPORTERS IN THE FCO OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HK. HE SAID THE CHOICE OF THE NEXT GOVERNOR WOULD HINGE ON BRITAIN'S POLICY, I.E. WHETHER TO ACCELERATE OR SLOW DOWN THE PACE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTA- TIVE GOVERNMENT. BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THIS ISSUE WOULD BE KNOWN AFTER THE NEXT GOVERNOR WAS NAMED.

4. PARA 3 OF OUR TELNO 232 REPORTED ON THE SUNDAY STANDARD'S INTERPRETATION ON 18 JANUARY OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED ARTICLES.

CONFIDENTIAL

15

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