Representative Government
At the time of the signature of the Joint
Declaration in 1984, there were no elected members of LegCo: all were appointed. In parallel with our discussions with the Chinese about Hong Kong's future, we have sought to ensure that the process of development of representative government is well established in Hong
Kong before 1997. The pace of change has been steady and deliberate, in line with the wishes of the community as a whole. Indirect elections to LegCo were introduced in 1985; and a comprehensive review of public opinion on the subject of constitutional change was held in 1987. That review showed that while most people wanted a directly elected element in the legislature, opinion was sharply divided over when when it should be introduced. Our decision to introduce a directly elected element in 1991 was mostly welcomed in the territory. There is moreover scope for further change. In the interest of continuity we have succeeded in persuading the Chinese to accept that those members of LegCo elected in 1995 should serve across the change of sovereignty in 1997, and this will mean holding the 1995 elections in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law, which as it currently stands, envisages a legislature in 1997 composed of 27% directly elected seats and 73% indirectly elected ones. There is thus the prospect of a steady evolution towards fully representative government at a pace which is in line with what Hong Kong people want.
There is, however, a vocal and articulate minority in Hong Kong who claim that the Government had promised in 1984 to introduce direct elections in 1988; that we reneged on this "promise" in response to Chinese pressure; and that the review of Hong Kong opinion in
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.