TNAG-1717-FCO40-2397-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 166

2 -

Opinions among Legislative Councillors, Municipal Councillors and District Board members differed widely.

5.

Taken as a whole, the public response to the Green Paper showed that there is wide support among the people of Hong Kong for the principle of introducing directly elected Members into the Legislative Council, but that the community is divided over the timing of this move.

6.

and

Those

Opinions on how direct elections might be

few were organized

also divided.

who commented were on balance in favour of having several constituencies rather than a single territory-wide constituency. They also showed a slight preference for rather than having direct elections in addition to, instead of, the present system of indirect elections by an electoral college.

Stability and Transition

1.

up

Stable government has always been crucial to Hong Kong. It will remain crucial in the years leading

Stability to 1997 and beyond.

is essential for confidence in the government and in the future of the territory, as well as for overseas business confidence in Hong Kong. This important point has always been well recognized by the community.

8.

The maintenance of stability requires that the development of Hong Kong's system of representative government should continue to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary; that each step should be carefully that changes should command wide support and confidence in the community.

considered;

and

9.

Such evolution must also be compatible with a smooth transfer of government in 1997. There will be inevitable changes at that time. The interests of the community will be best served if there is also a high degree of continuity and the form of government is one with which the people of Hong Kong are already familiar. In considering the

the development of Hong Kong's system of representative government before 1997,

must account

therefore be taken

the of

relevant stipulations of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and deliberations of the Basic Law Drafting Committee over how those provisions should be implemented after 1997. In this connexion, the Government has taken note of the fact that all the options in the latest draft of the Basic Law concerning the election of the future legislature include an element of direct elections.