TNAG-2038-FCO40-2902-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 51

Survey Office was set up to collect and report on public opinion on the Green Paper. It operated outside the ordinary machinery of government and without interference from the administration. Two independent monitors were appointed to oversee its work and to ensure that the carried out its duties in a fair and objective way. Review generated considerable public interest.

The

ce

The sounding

of public opinion took many forms and did not rely solely on the results of individual polls or surveys, though a number were held and their results taken into account. Care was

taken to obtain a

representative overall picture.

5. The Review and the findings of the Survey Office showed that public opinion was in favour of introducing a directly elected element into the Legislative Council before 1997, cut was sharply divided on the timing of this change. Some people favoured the introduction of directly elected members In 1988, arguing that direct elections would promote the development of more open, accountable and representative government, and should therefore be introduced as early as possible. Others argued that it was too soon to take such a step in 1988, only three years after the last major constitutional change when indirect elections to the Legislative Council were introduced, or because the system of the elections to be used after 1997 had not yet been established in the Basic Law due to be promulgated in 1990. The fact that it was widely believed that the Chinese

Government did not favour the introduction of direct elections before the Basic Law was finalised may have had considerable influence on public opinion. In view of the division of views on the question of timing, and having taken into account all the arguments put forward, the British and Hong Kong Governments concluded that on balance it would be right to make the next major constitutional change in 1991. The Hong Kong Government's White paper published in February 1988 announced that in 1991 10 seats would be open for direct election from geographical constituencies, replacing 10 seats presently elected by

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