TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 12

14-JUL-1993 14:35

Gallagher

TRANSCRI PT MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD

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0491 579838 P.09

SELECT COMMITTEE 14 JULY 93

and now in the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour you are

pursuing policies along those lines, how would I respond to that

charge?

MR GOODLAD:

I think that that is the chestnut that is occasionally brought

forward. The truth of the matter is that prior to 1984 there was

really very little demand for democracy in Hong Kong and had discussions about democracy taken place with the Chinese during

the course of the cultural revolution, even if there had been a

desire for democracy, I doubt whether they would have got very

far.

But during the years up to 1984 when the discussions leading

up to the Joint Declaration with the Chinese took place, it was

recognised that this was a unique process, a dependent territory

not being given its independence but coming under the sovereignty of the neighbouring power. When it was a dependent territory, as

it now is, there was democratic accountability through this House,

we are participating in it at this very moment, people in this

House take an enormous interest in Hong Kong because we are the

sovereign power, after 1997 we shall not be. So it was agreed

with the Chinese side in the Joint Declaration in 1984 that the

Legislative Council would in 1995 be constituted "by election".

If you use the word by election then you are by implication

importing the notion of democracy of some sort.