TNAG-1721-FCO40-2401-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-delegati-1988 — Page 90

•

· COHAEG

CONFIDENTIAL

1 YON 1988

hei Res. 207.

Trys Jiron

Private Secretary

FROM:

2

CO Hum

3

HRB 011/2. Hong kong Department

DATE .:

25A204

6 5

19 January 1988

PS/Lord Glenarthur

Mr Gillmore

Mr McLaren

1

34

CALL ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE BY MISS LYDIA DUNN: 19 JANUARY 1988

1.

Miss Lydia Dunn, a member of the Executive Council and the

Senior Member of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, called on the

Secretary of State this morning. You and I were also present.

2.

Miss Dunn said she had briefed the media on the issues in the

forthcoming debate. They tended to take rather a simplistic view. They supported the idea of the introduction of direct elections in

1988. Although they saw the opposing arguments this was not

editorially so interesting.

But

3.

Miss Dunn said that since indirectly elected members had come

into LegCo its style of work had changed. Intrinsically this was a good development. People in Hong Kong knew more about LegCo and had

a better awareness of their rights and obligations as citizens.

the new style of work had created new difficulties for the Hong Kong

Government. It already faced the difficulty that it had a limited

life up to 1997. And it was now confronted by amateur politicians

with authority but no responsibility. Officials came in for

criticism and could not defend themselves.

4.

Miss Dunn suggested that it would be possible for the

Governor to appoint unofficial ExCo members with seats in LegCo as

spokesmen in LegCo with responsibility for particular areas of

government. They would speak for the government, but would not function as heads of government departments. This was a modest

step, not to be made now but in the 1990s. She did not think that

this limited sort of Ministerial system would necessarily lead to

CONFIDENTIAL

Page 90Page 91