OUR
YOUR REF:
杜葉錫恩
ELSIE TU.
Ila Bob
55, Kung Lok Road, Kwun Tong,
Kowloon.
15 April 1993
Hong Kong breathed an audible sigh of relief at the news of resumed talks between Britain and China. No one expects those talks to be easy because both sides claim to be right and neither admits to having climbed down. I hope therefore that Members of Parliament would be kind enough to read the following, from a Legislative Councillor who has for decades stood up for the rights of the Hong Kong people.
Although I lived the first thirty years of my life in Britain, I now feel too far removed from the scene to claim an informed opinion on, say, the Mastricht Treaty. It is a pity that British politicians who know little or nothing of the culture and aspirations of the Hong Kong Chinese believe themselves able to pontificate on issues thousands of miles away, basing their opinions on their native political background.
Such is the
Britain has never been able to get it right for Hong Kong during its one and a half centuries of ruling here. nature of colonialism and the reason for its unacceptability. After World War 11, the Hong Kong Government officials, who permitted no democratic element on their legislature, allowed corruption and the exploitation of workers to grow out of hand. The groundswell of discontent in the late 1960s led to social improvements during the governorship of Sir Murray (now Lord) MacLehose, who understood Chinese history and culture, and who introduced what the Chinese aspired to most, free education, better housing, welfare benefits for the elderly and disabled, and a curb on corruption. However, even then the British Government did not see the need for any democratically elected element, and no democratic champions arose from among the local people to press for democracy. In fact participation in politics was actively discouraged in schools and colleges. Democrats like myself were discredited.
The next two Governors after Sir Murray were of similar mould, being diplomats. Sir Edward Youde and Sir David Wilson were conversant with Chinese culture and aspired to give them what they
But still the British wanted, an improved standard of living. Government adamantly refused to consider any democratic safeguard for maintaining those standards, and did not take one step towards democracy, not even one directly elected seat on the legislature.
Only in the early 1980s, when it became clear that Hong Kong would revert to China in 1997, were local democratic voices raised. These voices came mainly from people whose families had suffered during the civil war in China that brought the communists to power. Once in Hong Kong, these were the ones who prospered under colonial rule
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