internationally, that this will be maintained after 1997. It is
difficult to envisage the maintenance of the rule of law in a
community where the legislative body is neither fairly elected
nor free from manipulation.
80. Fairly and openly elected representative institutions are
also necessary to protect other fundamental aspects of Hong
Kong's way of life. The level playing field for business, which has brought so much prosperity to Hong Kong, and from which so
much of its international reputation derives, depends in the
last resort on the ability of the Legislative Council to ensure
that Hong Kong's economic and social needs, and not closed-door
pressures from vested interests, determine how money is spent.
Likewise, Hong Kong's success in recent decades has owed much to
its ability to root out corruption. This ability would vanish if, by virtue of restrictive electoral practices or outside pressures, the Legislative Council came to be regarded as susceptible to corruption rather than a bulwark against it.
81. Her Majesty's Government and the Hong Kong Government
regret that it has not been possible to reach agreement with the
Chinese Government on these issues. In the absence of such an
agreement, it is the firm view of Her Majesty's Government and
the Hong Kong Government that Hong Kong's best interest lies in
making electoral arrangements for 1994 and 1995 which carry
forward the already agreed and established process of democratic development, which are themselves open and fair, and which can
command the broad support of the people of Hong Kong.
82. The Governor is therefore introducing draft legislation
into the Legislative Council covering the most urgent issues: the arrangements for the District Board and Municipal Council elections, and for the voting age and voting method in those
elections to apply also to the Legislative Council elections.
The Governor is also introducing draft legislation to amend
statement26.8/BRIEFS/NJH
39
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