TNAG-1726-FCO40-2439-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 91

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Expressed

the view that

exception, have demonstrated why, the AGB McNair

polls should not be relied upon.

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Hong Kong without

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Sir, it is indeed without any surprise to me because on the 9 of this month, which is a Wednesday, there was a lunch when by twenty members of this Council attended and they already decided to vote against whatever motion 20 rendz I may put in and that was

Even

to amend long before I even decided on this one. Indeed, Sir, apart from echoing what the White Paper said about public opinion being split, and indeed I believe I have, already dealt with that fallacy in my

shill, not earlier speech which I shan't repeat, Very few members sought to defend the Government's decision in delaying the introduction of

direct elections for three years in spite of the implied promises made in 1984 and 1985 when the Government was trying to sell the Joint

Declaration to the people of Hong Kong and the British Parliament that direct elections would be introduced this year. Of course the Joint Declaration was then accepted both in Hong Kong and in the

those fromises ral agreement: British Parliament in the light of the feminis prat

that ^ the British Government has sought to deny having ever made these promises. Of course, there was never a clear promise in writing and in

so many words: thou shalt have direct elections in 1988. But which of

us here in 1984, and the first half of 1985, would have thought that we would not be given direct elections this year? Perhaps, Sir, that was why no member here has said that those promises were never made.//

Rem

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what we are trying to do is to hold both the British and Chinese

Governments to the strict terms of the Joint Declaration, which is our only hope That China must not interfere in the internal administration of the affairs of Hong Kong during the transitional years until the

30 June 1997; and that the British Government must honour its promises of introducing direct elections this year. We have not changed

our goals, though they appear to be getting out of our reach.

[Many

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of the members who have spoken so strongly in favour of the Government's decision in delaying the introduction of direct elections to 1991 had, somewhat surprisingly, previously been keen supporters of direct elections this year. They unfortunately have been victims

of the wind of change which has swept into this Council, and although

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