Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu

Appendix D

Appendix D Letter t o Members o f Parliament , Februar y 199 3 The next few months will be crucial to Hong Kong, and I presume ever y Member o f Parliamen t wil l sho w som e concer n a s t o ho w th e Unite d Kingdom Government deals with its most prosperous colony. News reaching th e Britis h i s propagated mainl y b y Governor Patte n and tw o Legislative Councillors, who claim to be democrats an d who , i n my experience, do not represent th e views of the majority o f Hong Kon g people, keeping in mind that less than twenty percent of eligible voters go to the polls. These two probably represent less than twenty percent of those who actually vote, and less than ten percent of potential voters. The British have never encouraged democracy in their 150-year history in Hon g Kong , with th e resul t tha t th e people her e ar e more concerne d about stabilit y an d prosperit y tha n abou t th e metho d o f voting. Indeed , stability an d prosperit y hav e alway s been use d a s the excus e for Britain' s failure to advance democracy in Hong Kong. In a letter addressed to myself dated 1 August 1978 , in reply to my request for a more democratic system, the late Lord Goronwy-Roberts had this to say: In the special circumstances of Hong Kong we must exercise patience and caution when considering changes that could affect the stability and prosperity of Hong Kon g 278 Colonial Hong Kong in the Eyes of Elsie Tu In a simila r vein , th e (now ) Lor d Davi d Owe n sai d i n a lette r date d 7 December 1978 : The situation is not static, and I can assure you that we and the Hong Kong Government do keep these matters under regular review. In doing so, our overriding concern must be to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, on which the welfare of its people depends Both these letters came from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office . The fact is , that the situation did remain static for a further thirtee n years. Direct elections for eighteen of the sixty seats on the Legislative Counci l were introduced only in 1991. Governor Patten is now trying to push through further reforms (which incidentally are not democratic and could be called gerrymandering, intended to get a certain party in power), regardless of the fact that our stability and prosperity have never seemed more threatened. It appears that stability and prosperity were only an issue during colonial rule, but what might happen after 1997 was considered immaterial. The question on everyone's lips is, 'Why now, after being denied democracy by the British for so long?' Mr. Patten's claim that two-thirds of the population support his political reforms is patently untrue. It depends upon which people he questions. My own constituency includes all districts of Hong Kong and Kowloon, because I am directly elected to the Urban Council, and from there I am indirectly elected t o the Legislativ e Council. For nearly 30 years I have toppe d th e polls i n th e direc t elections , an d m y indirec t electio n t o th e Legislativ e Council has twice been unopposed. I therefore claim to represent a majority of Urba n Councillor s wh o ar e themselve s elected . I have take n severa l surveys in which every Councillor voted. In each case, at least eighty percent have opposed the Patten Plan. I have so informed him, but he listens to no one and, after only a few months in Hong Kong, claims he knows best. The truth is that he is clever, but not wise enough to try to understand Chines e culture an d thought . Th e Chines e hav e n o backgroun d o f Wester n democracy and Britain has never offered i t to them in the past. They have Appendix D 279 their own standards, and no doubt will develop in their own way and time. It too k Britai n hundred s o f year s t o reac h it s presen t stat e...