6
to challenge colonial rule. It is thus not surprising that
throughout the history of Hong Kong, no serious nationalist
movement had been launched against the colonial regime.
Consequently, colonial rule sustained itself because of its
irreplaceability and indispensability in the eyes of its
subjects.
(2) Autonomy of the colonial government. A notable feature of
the colonial policy of Britain was to devolve power to the
colonial governments, who were enjoined to achieve financial
self-sufficiency. Metropolitan trade unions, parties and other
political organizations were not dominant in the colonies.4
Accordingly, the Hong Kong government basically enjoyed a high
level of political autonomy in the administration of the
territory. The degree of autonomy had increased since the end of
the Second World War, when British colonial policy shifted to a
more 'humanitarian' and developmental approach. A solid indicator
of the enhanced autonomy of the Hong Kong government was the
conferral of financial autonomy to it by the British government
in 1958. In the post-war period, the metropolitan government
rarely interferred in Hong Kong's internal affairs. The other
side of the coin is that the people of Hong Kong seldom sought
the intervention of London in dealing with the colonial
government.
4 See Tony Smith, 'Patterns in the Transfer of Power: A Comparative Study of French and British Decolonization,' in Prosser Gifford and Wm. Roger Louis (eds.), The Transfer of Power in Africa: Decolonization, 1940-1960 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1982), pp. 90-91.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.