TNAG-1900-FCO40-2699-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-1989 — Page 90

Wells/Leg 11

Kong, and indeed it was because of objections, open objections you say.. Can I read this to you "The Hong Kong Government's backing down from an earlier promise of

introducing direct elections to the Legislative Council in 1988 because of open objections from China and adopting the follow the Basic Law attitude clearly indicates that it will not withstand..." - I think you are there referring to the Hong Kong Government and the British Governirent"...that it will not withstand any intervention from China. If there had been resistance behind the scenes it was not seen by the people of Hong Kong,"

not been seen by the British or its Parliament, "for what they see is that whenever there is open objection to any decision by the Chinese Government, the Hong Kong Government backs down." You then go on to say, "This is a clear breach

of clause 4 of the Joint Declaration." Now if that is so that is a very major concern of this Committee and of our Parliament. what evidence have you that that took place,

indeed, Mr. Lee, I would say it has

that the Chinese did object to direct elections in 1988, which was a particular problem - or greater degree of direct elections? And secondly, can I ask you the same question that I asked Dame Lydia Dunn, whose man is the Chief

Executive from

an electoral college of 800, of which only

200 are remotely connected with universal suffrage?

MR MARTIN LEE: If we

start with the last question first. On

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