TNAG-1727-FCO40-2440-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 216

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UP. 1 [ Regarding signature campaigns, signature campaigns were launched

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have been

and 230,371 signatures were collected. In the Survey Office

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1987

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report, there was no other additional information for reference,

have I do not therefore wish to speculate on how many people had in

contradictory fact refused to sign or whether those holding contra views were are given a chance to air their opinions or whether all those that who han signed really believed that in 1988 there should be direct elections, or whether they did so merely to join the front. is likely that all these four possibilities exist. Turning to newspaper coverage on the 14th September, as we do not have other sources of information we can see that the organisers of such signature campaigns have different views regarding whether

this is scientific or representative. Should we only look at the quantity quantative, I personally feel that whether scientific or representative, signature campaigns with a large collection of signatures are definitely substantial. However, on important

issues they cannot be taken as decisive reasons, otherwise no country in the world would need a government or council or referendum, all questions can be solved by signature campaigns. I know that by explaining at such lengths my views on the Survey

Office report I would invite the displeasure of those who are

for direct elections in 1988,

8 however, I

think I should

avoid the issue. Today is the day we should show our stand. To sum up in an objective manner, I feel that we should take an

overall view and we should not take any particular approach. And I feel that in Hong Kong, on, the question of whether we

should have direct elections in 1988, the views are definitely

very divided, individuals against individuals, groups against groups and surveys against surveys, and a lot of respondents

do in fact did not really give an opinion. This is a very important issue and it cannot be resolved by signature campaigns since

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views are divided. To introduce direct elections now will not be prudent and therefore in 1991, when civic education has made progress and when the whole community is more adequately prepared,

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