TNAG-1598-FCO40-2191-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 118

(b)

4

1997 we have steadily and securely to increase the amount of representation of local people the government of Hong Kong. Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister, 21st December, 1984 in Hong Kong

in

(ix)

"The

(x)

review

developments in

will

consider possible the powers, composition and the method of selection of the Executive Council, including ways and means of devising

between

а link and the extent of that link the Executive Council and the Legislative Council by,

for example, s om e form of ministerial system." Sir Philip Haddon-Cave, Chief Secretary, 9th January, Legislative Council of Hong Kong

1985 in the

"The right hon. Member for Leeds, East asked whether the Joint Liasion Group would oversee constitutional development of HK before 1997. The answer is no. It is firmly agreed that the British Govt. will be responsible for the administration of HK until 1 July 1997. That includes responsibility for constitutional development. However, we have all recognised the need in this context to keep in mind the provisions of the agreement on the future of and the plans which were published in the HK Govt. White Paper were framed accordingly. Those considerations will continue to be important, but the responsibility remains The Joint Liasion Group will have no over-seeing role." Richard Luce, 21st January 1985, in the House of Common

HK,

ours.

Promises broken

of the

It is important to remember that the Draft Joint Declaration was published in Hong Kong on 29th September 1984, that

is,

af ter the publication of the Green Paper in July 1984 in which the process democratisation in Hong Kong was started by British Administration. The people of Hong Kong accepted the Join t Declaration because of the promises of democracy. The promises of the Chinese Government of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong" with " a high degree of autonomy" and the provision s in the Joint Declaration that the executive authorities of the be accountable to а fully elected legislature went hand in hand with the promises made by the British Government that a democratic form of government would be established in Hong Kong before 1997, including changes in the representative status of the Executive and Legislative Councils.

SAR

shall

As to the Executive Council, the 1984 Green Paper proposed that "by 1991, at least eight of the Unofficial members of the Executive Council should be elected by the Unofficial members of

the