TNAG-2005-FCO40-2853-Hong-Kong-political-parties-1990 — Page 75

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appreciated what had been done to restore confidence.

But,

for example, the nationality package had done nothing to help the man in the street. People needed to know how HMG was committed to helping the ordinary people who would stay in Hong Kong. There should be an attempt to open up the entire decision-making process in Hong Kong to devolve authority to local people on the principle of shared responsibility and leadership. He agreed that the relationships between Hong Kong and China and between the UK and China should be improved.

6. Mr Man Sai-Cheong of the Hong Kong Affairs Society said his organisation was composed largely of

professional/academics and represented the middle classes. They wanted Hong Kong to move as fast as possible to self-government, in order that political structures and methods could be developed. The aim was to work towards open government responsive to the wishes of the people. This would need a successful, reformed electoral system. It would also be necessary to keep and nurture the people who could provide political leadership, which was currently missing. On the proposed new airport, while the Society supported it, the people must first be consulted; they therefore advocated a referendum.

7. Mr Yeung Sum of the United Democrats of Hong Kong claimed over 500 members. Their banner was to support the Joint Declaration, but to advocate a faster pace of development of democracy in order to build up Hong Kong on the basis of freedom, human rights and capitalism. Their social policies fell between those of the Labour and Conservative parties of the UK. On specific issues, they favoured the UK talking to China about the new airport; Chinese support was essential. There should also be discussion with China on the Bill of Rights and, in order to secure a smooth transition of the Basic Law, on the need to revise the number of directly elected seats. It was for this that he had joined popular protests, for which he had been prosecuted. China could also help over law and order, for example over the Vietnamese boat people travelling through China and the smuggling of arms into Hong Kong. More generally, he saw HMG having a legitimacy crisis in Hong Hong; people did not believe that HMG would fight for Hong Kong.

8. In reply, Lord Caithness explained our policies towards China, with whom we hoped to improve our relations. On the development of democracy, the formula which had appeared in the Basic Law was very good. The next step was the elections in 1991. This put the ball back in Hong Kong's own court: if these elections went well, they would enable us to go back to

/China on

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