TNAG-1726-FCO40-2439-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 23

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bring instability and uncertainty to the administration

of Hong Kong.

Paragraph 75 of the White Paper

says, and I quote "The public response to the

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1987 Green Paper showed that there is a strong desire among the community for the system of representative

government to be developed further. The forms

of representation developed over the years have proved to be effective and to have firm popular

support." UnguotexY We really have no reason to

doubt the accuracy of these statements which confirm

that the biggest strides in the development of representative government taken by the Government every three years in the past, undeniably evolutionary in nature, had, the wide support of the public.

Lave

However, developments as given

in the 1988 White Paper are certainly not evolutionary. Rather, for 1988, We basically are marking time 4 1988, fase from 1991, there will be revolutionary developments Eo comply with the provisions of the Joint Declaration. The only changes for 1988 are to replace two appointed

the Legislative Council

seats in regee with two newly-created functional

constituency seats, and to change the structure

of relationship between the Urban Council and the urban distrit

boxes, Urban DBS What is more disappointing is that

the Government rejects direct election in 1988,

which commands strong public support while at the

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same time, failing to make a deeper cut in the number

thy Lenolative Council, a of appointed seats in begco A move favoured by the

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public in order to comply with the principle of

gradually phasing out appointed seats before 1997.

In my opinion, in the light

of experience gained in the past six years,