TNAG-1721-FCO40-2401-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-delegati-1988 — Page 129

1985.

introduction of indirect elections to the Legislative Council in

On the question of direct elections, the White Paper

whilst noting that "there was little evidence of support in

public comment on the Green Paper for any move towards direct

elections in 1985", nevertheless acknowledged that "the bulk of

public response from all sources suggested a cautious approach

with a gradual start by

by introducing a very small number of

directly elected members in 1988 and building up to a significant

number of directly elected members by 1997". The Hong Kong

Government also decided to bring forward to 1987 the political

review to assess progress on the development of representative

Government prior to the second series of elections to the

Legislative Council scheduled for 1988.

Lord Glenarthur now says, quite rightly, that the White

Paper did not promise direct elections in 1988, only a review in

1987. However, given Britain's expressed desire in 1984 to

"develop progressively a system of government the authority for

which is firmly rooted in Hong Kong, there was general

expectation that the 1987 review was to determine not whether

there would be direct elections in 1988, but how these elections

would be held. Sir Edward Youde, for example, had even stated

that the review "will assess whether by then it would be the wish

of the community that all Unofficial Members should thereafter be

elected, or whether there would still be a need for a number of

directly appointed members."

Incidentally, this option, the

elimination

of all

appointed members, was not even offered as an option in the 1987

Green Paper.

8