TNAG-1752-FCO40-2472-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 131

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15.

TIN TIN DAILY NEWS SAID SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARKS SHOWED THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAD NOW REALISED THAT A CAUTIOUS APPROACH SHOULD BE ADOPTED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF POLITICAL REFORMS, AND THAT BRITAIN HAD MADE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT HK'S POLITICAL REFORMS WOULD CONVERGE WITH THE BASIC LAW. BRITAIN HAD ALSO REALISED THAT THIS

WOULD HELP MAINTAIN HK'S STABILITY IN THE LONG TERM.

16.

THE HK COMMERCIAL DAILY SAID IT WAS GLAD THAT SIR GEOFFREY HAD STRESSED THE MAINTENANCE OF PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN HK THE CONSIDERATION FOR THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW, AND THE GOOD SINO-BRITISH RELATIONSHIP. ΤHE PAPER MAINTAINED THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION NOW WAS THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF HK'S POLITICAL SYSTEM SHOULD CONVERGE WITH THE BASIC LAW. IT HOPED THIS SPIRIT WOULD BE REFLECTED IN THE WHITE PAPER.

17. THE SCMP SAID IN ITS EDITORIAL THAT THOSE WHO LOBBIED FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS THIS YEARY MUST ACCEPT THAT ALL SIGNS WERE POINTING TO A DELAY UNTIL AFTER THE PROMULGATION OF THE BASIC LAW. WHETHER IT WAS UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED OR NOT, THE BRITISH VIEW, AND THEREFORE HK'S,

WAS FIRM THAT THE REAL TASK AHEAD WAS TO WORK TOWARDS CEMENTING A FIRM BASE OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CHINA AND HK WHILE

NOT DAMAGING THE LONDON-PEKING RELATIONSHIP IN THE GRANDER SCHEME OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS. IT SAID ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BRITAIN OF A

'SELLOUT CANNOT BE SUSTAINED.

THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT THE

INTRODUCTION OF A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS CAN WIN OUT AT THE EXPENSE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP, ARE NAIVE.

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THE STANDARD'S EDITORIAL SAID THAT THE ANSWER GIVEN BY SIR GEOFFREY ON DIRECT ELECTIONS WAS ''WAIT AND SEE'' IT SAID THAT WE MUST HAVE FIRM COMMITTMENTS FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND FIRM DATES ON WHEN DIRECT ELECTIONS WOULD TAKE PLACE. THE MESSAGE FROM SIR GEOFFREY WAS THAT WE SHOULD BE PATIENT. BUT THE MESSAGE THE PEOPLE

OF HK WANTED TO HEAR FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT WAS WHETHER OR NOT THE PRINCIPLE OF DIRECT ELECTIONS HAD BEEN ACCEPTED AND WHEN THEY WOULD

BE HELD.

WILSON

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