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026557
MDLIAN 6586
VISIT LONDON THE FIRST TIME LAST DECEMBER, WE FOUND THAT THE
HK. FROM MAJORITY OF THE MPS KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE QUESTION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT PRODUCED BY THE HK GOVERNMENT, THEY COULD ONLY SEE A PICTURE OF PROSPERITY AND PEACE. THE REPORT HAS NOT MADE ANY MENTION OF THE STORM THAT HK PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE CONFIDENCE CRISIS AND THE RISING TIME OF EMIGRATION. WE HAD TO TELL THE MPS EVERYTHING RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING WHEN WE HELD DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM. WE THEN INVITED SOME MPS TO VISIT HK TO UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION. PARLIAMENT HAD ALSO DECIDED TO DEBATE
THE HK ISSUE ON JANUARY 20.
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THAT
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME AS WELL AS THE ONLY TIME PARLIAMENT HAD DEBATED THE ANNUAL REPORT ON HK. THEREFORE, REMARKS BY MR LAM HENG-CHI IN AN EDITORIAL IN THE HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL THAT ''THE PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON THE ANNUAL REPORT ON HK HAS BECOME
ROUTINE BUSINESS.
THE ANNUAL REPORT IS COMPREHENSIVE AND WIDE- RANGING AND HAS REFLECTED THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SCENES IN HK IN THE PAST YEAR'' WERE NOT ENTIRELY TRUE.
DURING THIS PERIOD, WE EXPRESSED OUR VIEWS AND REFLECTED HK'S SITUATION IN VARIOUS AREAS. WE WENT TO LONDON AGAIN TO LOBBY (THE MPS) BEFORE THE DEBATE ON JANUARY 20.
THE FORCE OF OPPOSITION IN UNEXPECTEDLY STRONG.
LABOUR AND LIBERAL MPS WHO HAD SPOKEN DURING THE THREE-HOUR DEBATE HAD ADOPTED THE STAND OF SUPPORTING THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988. SOME INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATIVE MPS, SUCH AS FORMER PRIME MINISTER EDWARD HEATH AND ROBERT HUGHES WHO HAD MR HUGHES HAD VISITED HK RECENTLY, HAD ALSO INDICATED SUPPORT. EVEN HIT OUT DIRECTLY AT SIR PETER BLAKER WHO WAS CLOSE TO THE FCO, SAYING THAT SIR PETER HAD MADE SHAMEFUL REMARKS. AT THE SAME TIME, ALL BRITISH NEWSPAPERS HAD UNANIMIOUSLY SUPPORTED THE DELEGATION OF DEMOCRATS TO LONDON. THIS HAS BROUGHT MUCH PRESSURE ON THE FCO.
PEOPLE WHO STUDY BRITISH POLITICS WILL BE SURPRISED AT SUCH A SITUATION. THIS IS BECAUSE THE LABOUR PARTY AND THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAVE ALWAYS ADOPTED THE SAME STAND ON THE QUESTION OF HK'S FUTURE. THE FCO HAS NEVER FACED SUCH A UNITED FORCE OF OPPOSITION, WHICH INCLUDES QUITE A NUMBER OF CONSERVATIVE MPS.
WHEN WE TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THE CONTENTS OF THE DEBATE, WE FIND THAT THE REASONING AND ARGUMENTS OF THOSE WHO SPOKE AGAINST DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1988 WERE NOT AS STRONG AS THOSE WHO SPOKE IN
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