A fundamental question underlying the writing of this book was how a colonial and capitalist regime has managed to maintain its rule over a small piece of Chinese territory for almost 150 years with surprisingly few threats to the authority of its regime. Such crises as have occurred have, however, represented genuine crises of legitimacy, but none more so than the present crisis, which stems from the decision of the British and Chinese governments to negotiate on the future of the territory—a decision that resulted in the Sino-British agreement of 1984, which promised fifty years of capitalism, 'a high degree of autonomy', and various liberties for the Hong Kong people upon China's resumption of sovereignty in 1997.
The agreement sharply reduced the autonomy of the Hong Kong government. It could not introduce more representative institutions, as desired by the people of Hong Kong, because China claimed the right to determine Hong Kong's political future. The autonomy and rule by Hong Kong people which was promised in the agreement is, in practice, unacceptable to China.
Thus the Hong Kong government has begun to preside over the transition from one form of colonialism to another. A government which is losing legitimacy in the eyes of the Hong Kong people is preparing to transfer power over them to one with even less. The Chinese drafters of the Basic Law, which is to be Hong Kong's con-stitution after 1997, will ensure that the colonial government's strong executive powers will be inherited by its successor. The crisis of legitimacy will therefore continue.
Governments, by their nature, are inclined to rationalize their political mistakes, but those who are affected by policies over which they have no control are entitled to ask whether those rationalizations are justified, and to question whether the decisions taken were in the best public interest. This book is in part an attempt to analyse a problem of legitimacy, in part an attempt to assess the roles played by the British, Chinese, and Hong Kong governments in determining the political future of the Hong Kong people.
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
1. An Overview of Political Change in Post-Agreement Hong Kong
- The Dynamics of Political Change
- - Political Attitudes
- - The Policies of the Chinese Government
- - The Role of the British Government
- - The Position of the Hong Kong Government
- Political Change and the Future
2. The Unreformed Colonial State, 1842-1966
- The Minimal State
- - Law and Order
- - The Administration of Justice
- - Health and Sanitation, Public Works and Social Services
- - Land, Revenue and Taxation
- The Structure of Colonial Authority
- The Post-War Economic Boom
- The Political Consequences of Economic Growth
3. The 1966-1967 Riots and their Aftermath
- The 1966 Riots
- The 1967 Disturbances
- - The Demonstrations (May —June 1967)
- - Work Stoppages, Economic Disruption and Further Violence (June—August 1967)
- - Terrorism and Bomb Attacks (August—December 1967)
- Aftermath of the Disturbances, 1968-1971
- - Political Reform: The City District Officer Scheme
- - Political Reform: Chinese as an Official Language
- - Political Reform: Proposals for the Redress of Grievances
- - The Reform of the Civil Service
- - Social and Economic Reform: Labour Legislation
4. Autonomous Hong Kong, 1972-1982
- Re-organisation and Reform in the Civil Service
- - Change in Central Government
- - Strengthening Local Administration
- - Combating Corruption
- The Provision of Public Goods and Services
- - Housing and the New Towns Policy
- - Education
- - Social Welfare
- Legitimacy, Autonomy and the Future of Hong Kong
5. The Sino-British Negotiations, 1982-1984
- The British Government's Diplomatic Strategy
- The Position of the Chinese Government
- - The Chinese Negotiating Style
- - Chinese Relations with the Hong Kong Community during the Negotiations
- The Hong Kong Response
- The Agreement, Legitimacy and Political Change
6. The Changing Economic and Social Structure
- The Changing Economy
- - China's New Economic Policies
- - Hong Kong's Growth as a Financial Centre
- The Growth of the Service Sector
- The Changing Social Structure
- The Changing Role of Government
7. Post-Agreement Politics: Corporatist Strategy and the Search for Consensus
- Consensus and Legitimacy: The Institutional Framework
- - The Legislative Council, 1985-1988
- - The Issue of Direct Elections
- - The Basic Law
- Consensus and Conflict on Policy Issues
- - The Daya Bay Nuclear Plant
- - The Public Order (Amendment) Bill
- The Failure of Corporatist Strategies: Emigration and the `Brain Drain'
8. Epilogue: An Enduring Crisis of Legitimacy
Appendix
Chronology of the Sino-British Negotiations
Bibliography
Index
