further changes before the final text is promulgated in
1990.
One section of the Basic Law which is being discussed
particularly intensely in Hong Kong is that on the future
constitutional structure. 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 Legislative Council. Now 26 members
- almost half the total - are indirectly elected. In 1991
ten directly elected seats will be introduced. And there
will be further changes before 1997. A review of representative government in Hong Kong in 1987 showed that an overwhelming majority of Hong Kong people supported this
process and favoured the gradual evolution of more
representative government. But they did not want to force
the pace, because they did not want to jeopardise the
political stability on which Hong Kong's prosperity and its
way of life depend.
The provisions of the draft Basic Law on the political
structure after 1997 also follow extensive consultation with
the Hong Kong people. The principle of universal suffrage
as the ultimate objective for the election of the future
Hong Kong legislature and the chief Executive is enshrined
in the second draft of the Basic Law. (In this respect, incidentally, the draft Basic Law goes beyond what was said in the Joint Declaration about the future political system).
The task now is to devise a timetable and mechanisms for the
introduction of universal suffrage in Hong Kong, which will
command the confidence of the community as a whole. We hope
that, as the debate develops, a consensus will emerge to
guide the Basic Law drafters.
Another area of the Basic Law that has attracted close
attention has been human rights, and good progress has been
made. The latest draft fully reflects the provisions of the Joint Declaration that rights and freedoms shall be
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