CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY OF STATE'S SEMINAR: HONG KONG
1. Annex A lists the major issues we need to tackle in the
last five years of the transition. This note selects some
key points for discussion at the Seminar.
(i) Hong Kong Political Scene
2.
Last September's LegCo elections have sharpened and
polarised the political scene. They have also made it more
difficult for us to hold the ring between:
the assertive group of directly-elected Hong Kong politicians, many of whom want us to push ahead faster with building up strong autonomous Hong Kong institutions and if necessary to "call the Chinese bluff" in doing so;
- the Chinese, who suspect that we are moving the goal posts
in Hong Kong and have either lost control to LegCo or are building up Martin Lee & Co to frustrate Chinese objectives after 1997.
3. At the practical level, we have not fully succeeded in
grafting the new directly elected members on to Hong Kong's
existing system. The liberals, after their sweeping
electoral victory, are frustrated that they have not achieved the influence they think they deserve. They have
declined to serve on EXCO as a minority (seeing this as
co-option). Without responsibility for policy-making, they
have little incentive to act responsibly and have been all
too ready to play to the gallery.
4.
In reaction, the more conservative members of LegCo
have rallied together in Allen Lee's group and have proved
quite successful at the tactical level. As a result, LegCo
votes have tended to pit elected against unelected members,
and further to alienate the liberals.
FIZABP/1
CONFIDENTIAL
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