TNAG-1719-FCO40-2399-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 53

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510 5734 CHIEF SECRETARY HONG KONG -

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6 810 0784

It is because, and only because, of this shorp

division of views on timing that the Government has concluded that it would not be right to Introduce direct elections in 1988. Direct elections to the legislature represent a major constitutional change. The Government must therefore be sure that their introduction has the clear support of the community as a whole. We could not be sure that there was such support for direct elections in 1988. And we must not forget that it was only 3 years ago that we last made a major change: the introduction, for the first time, of 24 elected members, representing.

over 40% of the membership of this Council.

Criticism has been levelled at the two opinion surveys conducted by AGB McNair HK Ltd. As I have said in

this Council on two previous occasions, there are

inevitably different judgments on how surveys of this

nature should be conducted. I still believe it would not

be right for me to defend the professional Judgment of the company or the approach it adopted. Suffice it to say

that comments, critical and otherwise, on the surveys have

been fully taken into account when the survey results were

considered.

XH SI9 OT:¿T 88, 91 auw

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