TNAG-1599-FCO40-2192-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1987 — Page 127

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But the..

hope in the professional competence of AGB McNair HK Ltd.; ΟΙ

perhaps they had been too trusting of our Government.

Report of the Survey Office has woken us up from our day dream,

that the British administration here in Hong Kong has our

interests at heart, that it will take a stand at some point and

refuse to kowtow to China, that the Iron Lady will keep her

promise to us that Britain has a moral obligation towards Hong

Kong.

If this Government really wants to find out from the

people of Hong Kong what they really think in relation to the

introduction of direct elections in 1988,

there is only one

thing it should do: give the people a referendum.

*

When I first raised this question in this Council

earlier this year shortly before the publication of the Green

Paper in May 1987, the Chief Secretary ruled out any such

possibility by saying that as the Green Paper would.contain

over 30 options, it would be totally unrealistic to hold a

referendum.

But as we now know, 96% of the submissions received

by the Survey Office dealt with the question of whether

direct elections should

Hong Kong have chosen to

elections

in 1988.

or

not

introduced in 1988. The people of

be

concentrate on the issue of direct

There is no more reasonable excuse to deny