TNAG-1900-FCO40-2699-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-1989 — Page 100

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agreement at this moment in time, and any degree of really

clear view from the liong Kong community about the political

model that one requires, that it is potentially dangerous to

lay down a prescriptive, rigid model of this kind at this

time? and that there would be a case for some at least

parameters written into the model in the Basic Law, so that

they could at least take account without having to amend the

Law the Basic Law is very hard to amend but without

having to amend the Law that in fact it could accommodate

a change in political mood in Hong Kong?

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MR MARTIN LEE: Oh, yes, ideally that can be done. And that

is why my very first proposal...

MR EDWARD ROWLANDS: I'm merely suggesting it.

MR MARTIN LEE: Yes, many years ago my proposal is simply

this; start with direct election, say 25% in 1988 and then

take a political review, have a political review and see how

acceptable it is to the people of Hong Kong

whether it should be more or less

step.

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let them decide

and then take the next

And then have another review step by step. But then

we have not started direct election in 1988, and that is why

we have this difficulty nobody knows for sure whether it

will work. I say it will work, but where is the proof? I

have no proof because direct election was not introduced, so

ideally if we could have consensus, that is the best thing,

P.6.