24. The arrival of directly-elected members of the Legislative Council in 1991 was a further important step in the democratic development of Hong Kong. When Mr Patten arrived as Governor of Hong Kong in July 1992, there was a widespread view in the community that this process should be taken further in the last cycle of elections in Hong Kong under British sovereignty: those for the District Board due
in September 1994, for the Municipal Councils in March 1995
and for the Legislative Council in September 1995. There was intense speculation about the new Governor's policy on this.
The pressure of public expectations, as well as the practical need to set in place in good time the necessary arrangements for these elections, meant that the Governor had to take
action soon after his arrival.
25. The Governor therefore set out his proposals for
political development in the years up to 1997 in his inaugural
address to the Legislative Council in October 1992 (the main
points are summarised at Annex ......). They were the result
of wide ranging discussions in the community and had the full support of Her Majesty's Government. The simplest way to respond to the wish of the community in Hong Kong for greater democracy would have been for the Chinese Government to agree
to amend the Basic Law in order to provide for a faster rate
of increase in the number of directly-elected seats. Her
Majesty's Government pressed the Chinese Government on several
occasions to take this step. But the Chinese side maintained
that the Basic Law could not be changed before it came into
effect in 1997. The Governor therefore decided, with the
support of Her Majesty's Government, to look for other ways of extending democratic participation, in conformity with the
terms of the Basic Law.
26.
The Governor emphasised that the essential aim of his
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