TNAG-1736-FCO40-2449-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 107

CONFIDENTIAL

137510

MDHIAN 5428

3.

SO CHOW YIM-PING (HK ISLAND WEST) AND KINGSLEY SIT HO-YIN

(A TUEN MUN DB MEMBER WHO CROSSED BOUNDARIES AND CONTESTED THE

SOUTH KOWLOON SEAT).

ALL THIS SUGGESTS THAT IT IS PROBABLY NOT SAFE TO DRAW ANY GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ON THE WAY FORWARD ON MAJOR CURRENT ISSUES.

PARTICULARLY WHEN THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES RETURNED MORE OF

THOSE FROM THE (QUOTE) LIBERAL (UNQUOTE) WING THAN DID THE ELECTORAL

COLLEGE. MANY OF THE NEWCOMERS HAVE LITTLE OR NO POLITICAL BACKGROUND. HOW THEY WILL ACTUALLY BEHAVE IN LEGCO WILL ONLY

BECOME CLEAR OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

4. WE ARE NOT, AS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE, COMMENTING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTIONS PER SE. ON THE LEVEL OF VOTER TURNOUT, WE ARE POINTING OUT THAT THERE WAS (NOT SURPRISINGLY) A VERY HIGH VOTER

TURNOUT IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND THAT TURNOUT IN FUNCTIONAL

CONSTITUENCIES WAS ABOUT THE SAME AS IN 1985 (ALTHOUGH THE TWO SETS

ELECTIONS NOT DIRECTLY COMPARABLE BECAUSE DIFFERENT CONSTITUENCIES

WERE INVOLVED): THE GOVERNMENT HAS DONE ITS PART IN ENCOURAGEING

VOTING AND PUBLICISING ELECTIONS: WHETHER OR NOT THEY TURN UP

IS ENTIRELY UP TO THE VOTERS.

OF

5. IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE UK PRESS HAS PICKED UP

ALLEGATIONS THAT THE ELECTIONS WERE UNREPRESENTATIVE. THIS IS OF

COURSE THE EXCUSE THAT THE (QUOTE) LIBERALS (UNQUOTE) HAVE GIVEN

FOR DOING BADLY IN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. AS I POINTED OUT IN MY

TELNO 3592. THIS IS IN INTERESTING CONTRAST TO THE FACT THAT THEY

WERE, THIS TIME LAST YEAR, STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF RETAINING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE CONCEPT.

6. AS REGARDS ALLEGATIONS OF CURRUPTION, HAVE SO FAR RECEIVED A TOTAL OF SEVEN COMPLAINTS. THEY WILL BE FULLY INVESTIGATED BY

THE ICAC. WE ARE ENCOURAGING COMPLAINANTS TO REPORT ANY IRREGULA-

RITIES THEY BELIEVE MAY HAVE TAKEN PLACE.

WILSON

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