TNAG-1597-FCO40-2182-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 149

SECRET

10843

OCMIAN 0843

SECRET

OO HOKON

FM FCOLN TO HOKON

151730Z JAN

GRS 900

01112

DECEIVED IN REGISTRY

14 JAN 1907

OFFICER

PA

SECRET

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 120

OF 151730Z JANUARY 87

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

On

PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR FROM HUM, HONG KONG DEPT

MY 3 IPTS: 1987 REVIEW

FOLLOWING IS REMAINDER OF REVISED TEXT OF DRAFT PAPER.

BEGINS

24.

AT PRESENT IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE OUTCOME OF THE REVIEW

ON THE DIRECT ELECTIONS ISSUE WILL BE ALONG ONE OF FOUR POSSIBLE

LINES:

(I)

(II)

WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE IN HONG

KONG WERE CLEARLY OPPOSED TO THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT

ELECTIONS IN 1988. THIS WOULD EVIDENTLY BE WELCOMED BY

THE CHINESE. IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT, HOWEVER, THAT THIS

ASSESSMENT WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED IN HONG KONG, SO THAT WE

COULD DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST THE CRITICISM THAT WE HAD

DEFERRED TO CHINESE WISHES.

WE MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT THERE WAS NO CLEAR CONSENSUS, AND

THAT THEREFORE NO DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT SHOULD BE

INTRODUCED IN 1988, WITH THE QUESTION BEING REVIEWED

AGAIN AT A LATER DATE (SAY 1990). THE CHINESE WOULD ALSO

BE CONTENT WITH THIS. ONCE AGAIN, HOWEVER, WHETHER SUCH

A LINE WOULD BE POLITICALLY TENABLE IN HONG KONG WOULD

1

SECRET

17

-

1

See 18

Sed

123