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To: Miss Hanimaḥ Maswandi
British High Commission
LANHE ZAOBAO
WHICH PROBLEMS WILL PATTEN GIVE PRIORITY TO?
Hongkong Governor Chris Patten has assumed office for three short months, yet his report on the Agenda for Hongkong announced a couple of days ago has stirred up a storm. It is believed that the main area of contention on his report is his recommendation of a series of democratic political reforms. For example, his recommendations on the "separation" of Hongkong's Legislative Council from the Executive Council i.e., there will no longer be overlapping of roles for the cabinet members in the two councils; expanding the Legislative Council and district elections seats; as well as the reduction of voting age from 21 to 18.
Within hours of Patten's announcement, China's representative office in Hongkong, Xinhua News Agency, immediately issued a warning, directly accusing Britian for performing a "major surgery" to Hongkong's political arena before 1997. It also said that Britian's unilateral announcement was "extremely irresponsible and reckless, thereby initiating a public debate for which China is not to be held responsible". The next day, China's spokesman for foreign affairs again attacked the Hongkong Governor's report claiming that it will obstruct Hongkong's smooth and stable transition and handover of political powers. The two statements made consecutively by China bluntly accused Britian for breaching the Chinese-British joint statement made last year relating to Hongkong's problems. However, British Prime Minister, John Major announced to the Hongkong people of his full endorsement for Patten's Report. And British Premiers had never before responded so quickly and positively on agenda reports of previous Hongkong governors.
The Patten's Report could be said to have triggered off one of the most heated war of words between China and Britian in recent years. Fresh in the public's memory was the problem relating to the building of Hongkong's new airport for which the expenses has yet to be agreed by both China and Britian. Before the last tidal wave has died down, the next wave has now risen and both China and Britian are again engaged in endless debate over Hongkong's problem. This gives outsiders the impression that notwithstanding that Hongkong is a good place to strike gold, any slight controversy will result in the greater the opportunity the greater the risk. Looking at the Hongkong stock market, it bas undergone many rises and falls in the current year and the majority of sudden downslides of the Hang Seng Index were connected with political movements.
In actual fact, from the emotional and logical point of view, there is no reason to criticise Britian's declaration of "returning political powers to the people" and increasing the pace of democratisation. But Britian's delay till now of the promotion of democratic movement in Hongkong will undoubtedly stir up a storm. According to Britian's smug calculation, should Hongkong realise its democratisation plan, it will relieve some of the internal political pressure presently faced by the ruling Conservative Party as well as enable Britian withdraw from Hong Kong in a more graceful stance, it is really killing two birds with one stone. But a knife does not cut both ways, Britian's gain will be China's loss. What concerns China most is Hongkong's fast and hurried change in its political system. As the saying goes - easy to release but hard to regain. It is feared that come 1997, should there
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