TNAG-2450-FCO40-3567-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1992 — Page 56

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make an impressive case. The territory is

already honestly and decently governed.

economy flourishes.

Personal freedoms are

extensive by any standards.

While I

recognise the special nature of Hong Kong's

unique

historical experience,

arguments are all for standing still.

these

116.

And standing still is not an

available option. The

Governments of the

United Kingdom and China have agreed in the

Joint Declaration that democracy should be

carried

forward

with a Legislature

constituted

entirely by elections. The

Basic Law provides for a steady increase in

the number of those directly elected to the

Legislature.

stagnation. What is more, and this was

doubtless recognised by those who drafted

Basic Law, the community wants a greater

It does not visualise

measure of democracy.

Whenever the

community is asked, that . is the answer it

gives.

!

117.

Democracy is, of course, more than

just a a philosophical ideal.

It is, for

instance,

an essential element in the

pursuit of

economic progress. Let me give

an example of what I mean.

Without the Rule

of

Law

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