TNAG-1721-FCO40-2401-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-delegati-1988 — Page 137

that the people of Hong Kong are not

interested in such

"un-

Chinese" practices as elections and, in any event, do not wish to

have them introduced at an early date. They say that, in view of

such public opinion, it is not necesary for Britain to keep her

promise that representative government would be rapidly developed

so that an experienced and representative government would be in

place by 1997.

These people cite as their authority the recently

released Report of the Survey Office, set up by the Hong Kong

Government to assess public opinion on political reforms. For

this reason, it is necessary to look at the Report of the Survey

Office, and at the 1987 Green Paper on representative government.

The 1987 Green Paper bore almost no similarity to that

reaffirmation of

of 1984. Conspicuously missing was any

Britain's 1984 commitment to "develop progressively a system of

government the authority for which is firmly rooted in Hong Kong,

which is able to represent authoritatively the views of the

people of Hong Kong, and which is more directly accountable to

the people of Hong Kong."

Traditionally, the Green Paper is a document presenting

a government proposal, on which the public is invited to comment.

This Green Paper, however, was unique in that it did not advocate

any form of political reform. The government explained this lack

of action by declaring that it did not want to "lead public

opinion."

In its Annual Report on Hong Kong to Parliament for the

1985-86 year, the British government said of the 1987 review:

"The main issues on which the views of the public will be sought

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