TNAG-1755-FCO40-2475-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 95

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friction, and some heat.

Anyone who has spent any time

in parliament at Westminster can tell you that.

So where does that important matter stand today? The Hong Kong Government, and HMG, have responded, and are responding to the widely expressed desire in Hong Kong for more participation in government.

It is only 3 years since the first elected seats of any kind were introduced in Legco. And only 3 years from now, in 1991, ten directly elected seats will be

introduced. That is not a long interval. But it is, believe, a reasonable response to the widespread wish for

I evolution to be steady and gradual. Further changes will be necessary after 1991 to meet the Joint Declaration provision for a legislature all of whose members are elected.

It is now clear that the Basic Law will include a substantial directly elected component in the post-1997 legislature. We have come a long way in a short time.

We welcome the

And so has the drafting of the Basic Law. close involvement of Hong Kong people in the process of drafting and consultation, and we welcome the steps being taken by the Chinese Government to seek Hong Kong opinion.

It

The first draft of the Basic Law is a massive text. incorporates, as it should, virtually all the provisions of the Joint Declaration, often verbatim. It is not perfect, of course, nor is it in its final form. But even a few years ago people would, I think, have been very surprised to see this kind of text emerging from a committee appointed by the Chinese legislature; and surprised too that the drafting should have been such an open process, and with such a high degree of consultation.

It is important that the outcome should not be seen to fetter Hong Kong's autonomy in any way. surely that the text must be seen as deficient in that

But it is ironic respect because of its insistence on and low taxation policies - something most Western

a balanced budget Finance Ministers would give their eye teeth for! could ever have dreamed that that that would be one of our anxieties about the Basic Law well-founded though it is?

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