TNAG-1719-FCO40-2399-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 234

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RELATION TO AREAS COVERED BY THE BASIC LAW, THIS QUESTION WILL NOT

BE DIFFICULT TO RESOLVE BECAUSE THE QUESTION CONCERNED HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN RECENT AGENDA FOR DISGUSSIONS ON THE BASIC LAW. THE

CHINESE SIDE CAN POINT OUT THAT MOST BLDC MEMBERS HAVE COME TO A

CONSENSUS THAT HK SHOULD HAVE A CERTAIN DEGREE OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN FUTURE. THEREFORE,

E, THE REFERENCE (TO THE QUESTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS) IN THE WHITE PAPER IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIMING. BUT IT

WILL NOT BE EASY FOR THE NPC TO PUT ON AN IMMACULATE SHOW. EXPERIENCE

TELLS US THAT IT IS A ROUTINE PRACTICE FOR THE NPC MEMBERS TO RAISE

THEIR HANDS IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSALS PREPARED BY THE GOVERNMENT. THE

FUTURE NPC CONFERENCES WILL CERTAINLY PASS THE RELEVANT STIPULATIONS

IN THE BASIC LAW. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE NPC REPRESENTS PUBLIC

OPINION AND IS NOT IN ITSELF A BUREAUCRATIC ORGANISATION. SO, HOW

COULD OFFICIALDOM PREDICT THE RESULTS BEFORE NPC CONFERENCES WERE

HELD? WE CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WILL CERTAI-

NLY BE ABLE TO ''PERSUADE' NPC MEMBERS TO VOTE ''YES' '. LIP

SERVICE WOULD BE PAID TO DEMOCRACY IF THERE WERE A FEW ''NO'

IF THIS WAS THE CASE, HOWEVER, THE RUBBER STAMP IMMAGE OF THE NPC WOULD BECOME EVEN MORE APPARENT. OF COURSE, WE CAN ALSO ASSUME THAT

THE NPC BY THEN WOULD OVERRULE PROPOSALS IN THE BASIC LAW BY A

MAJORITY OF VOTES. BUT THIS POSSIBILITY WOULD BE EXTREMELY REMOTE.

EVEN IF NPC WERE TO DO THAT IT STILL COULD NOT STOP THE

• INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS NH HK WHEN THE TIME CAME

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VOTES.

BECAUSE EVERYTHING HAD ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN IN THE DOCUMENT ON

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. DISTURBANCES WOULD RESULT IF DIRECT ELECTIONS

WERE NOT HELD.

•

WE ASSERT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOT ACHIEVED TOTAL VICTORY OVER

THE ISSUE OF DIRECT ELECTIONS BUT HAS ONLY WON BY A WHISKER. THE

DEMOCRATS KNOW THIS IN THEIR HEARTS THEREFORE, WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE DEMOCRATS COME OUT IN OPPOSITION, THEY ARE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. INFACT, THEY SHOULD BE SATISFIED NOW THAT THEY WILL HAVE THREE YEARS TO WIN POPULAR SUPPORT AND VOTES. IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE 10 (DIRECTLY-ELECTED) SEATS TO START WITH. HOW CAN THEY

BE NOT SATISFIED?

PEOPLE MAY ASK WHY CHINA MADE CONCESSIONS ON QUESTIONS OF PRINCIPLE

AND WATCHED WITH FOLDED ARMS AS BRITAIN SUCCESSFULL ''STOLE A

MARCH''. OUR ANSWER IS THAT CHINA HAS TO HELP BRITAIN AND HK TO MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT BECOME A REAL LAME DUCK BECAUSE IF THINGS ARE NOT

HANDLED CAREFULLY AT A TIME WHEN THERE ARE MANY POLITICAL AND

ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, CHINA'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS FROM HK WILL SHRINK. IF ALL THE PROPOSALS BY THE HK GOVERNMENT WERE TURNED DOWN

CHINA ONE BY ONE, HOW COULD THE HK GOVERNMENT ADMINISTER THE

BY

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