}
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret
DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
connection with Britain and the value of their service to
Hong Kong. I hope to be ale to announce details of the
scheme before too long.
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
19. We and the Hong Kong Government will be taking a
careful look at the programme to advance and consolidate
democracy in Hong Kong. In recent years, Hong Kong has
been developing a more representative system of
government. When the Joint Declaration was signed in
1984 there were no elected members of the Legislation
Council. Now 26 members almost half the total are
indirectly elected. We have always sought to develop
representative government in line with the wishes of the
community as a whole and to ensure that what is achieved
under British administration is firm and durable.
will remain the guiding principles as we consider the way
forward. All the reforms up to and including those
announced last year for the introduction of 10 directly
elected seats in 1991 have been based on an assessment
of what Hong Kong itself wanted.
There
20. It is now clear that Hong Kong opinion has moved on
since last year. That was plain before the massacre in
Peking. The unanimous proposal by the unofficial members
of the Executive and Legislative Councils (OMELCO) on 24
-
May for a 50% directly elected legislature by 1997,
moving to full direct elections by 2003 - was a most
important indication of the emerging consensus. But
OMELCO indicated during my recent visit to Hong Kong that
they will want further time to consider their position in
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.