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16. This policy, we would judge, would attract widespread public support and considerably ease the problem of making further progress towards a more satisfactory urban society. It appears to suit local circumstances and to be compatible with what is judged to be Peking's attitude to the institutions of the Colony, provided it is done gradually so as to avoid giving the impression of losing our power of decision or control. It is significant that while the Chinese have permitted constitutional changes, in Macao to include limited elections to the Legislative Council, they appear to have ordered the Chinese population not to register as electors even though there is no K.M.T. element there. This and last year's difficulties over the election of a pro-Taiwan member of the Urban Council suggests that Peking's attitudes to the question of elections in Hong Kong will not change in the near
future.
17. Possible objections to present proposals for institutional
development are:
(a) that although right in principle the execution of them may not be rapid enough to contain the disquiet felt in UK political circles at the absence of properly representative institutions;
(b) change of any sort might encourage pressure for an elective system; and
or
(c) enlargement of, or change in, the composition or type of membership of the Legislative Council might lead to the development
of factionalism between the Unofficial Members themselves to fruition between them and the Officials and/or the Executive Council. If any of these occurred they would represent serious handicaps in the run-up to negotiations with the Chinese.
To these it may be answered that:
(a) the execution of these plans must necessarily take into account both the political pressures here and the political
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