Major Political Changes in Hong Kong (1945-1966) PDF

**Major Political & Institutional Changes in Hong Kong in 1945-1966** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | #### Background | ### Major political & institution | | | al changes (1945-66) | +------...

**Major Political & Institutional Changes in Hong Kong in 1945-1966** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | #### Background | ### Major political & institution | | | al changes (1945-66) | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | 1. **A global trend towards | A. **Political reform attempts** | | decolonization** | | | | | | \~ in June 1945, the UN Charter | | | stated all colonial people should | 1. **Introduction of the Young | | have the right to self-gov't | Plan (1946)** | | | | | decolonization swept across the | \~ suggested by *Governor Mark | | world | Young* | | | | | Br didn't want to give up HK for | suggested the establishment of | | its importance for British trade | the Municipal Council (市議會) to | | | replace the Urban Council | | Br was forced to introduce some | (市政局) | | political & institutional changes | | | | the new Council consisted of 30 | | | members (20 were directly elected | | | + 10 were appointed) ; half of | | | the seats were Chinese | | | | | | not well received by the British | | | gov't & the public | | | | | | e.g. HK British merchants feared | | | the increasing pol influence of | | | the Chinese | | | | | | e.g. the Chinese leaders wanted | | | to retain their privilege in | | | politics | | | | | | e.g. the general public were more | | | concerned about livelihood than | | | pol. reform | | | | | | \~ in 1947 *Grantham* (葛亮洪) | | | became the HK Governor | | | | | | he stalled the implementation of | | | the Young Plan | | | | | | \~ in 1949, he thought the | | | elected members of the Municipal | | | Council could be 'dangers | | | inherent' in the HK situation at | | | the time of the Chinese Civil War | | | | | | he proposed the British gov't to | | | drop the Young Plan | | | | | | the Young Plan was officially | | | cancelled in 1952 | | | | | | 2. **Enhancing | | | representativeness of the | | | Councils** | | | | | | \~ more Chinese members were | | | appointed to the Executive, | | | Legislative & Urban Councils | | | | | | e.g. Exe Council : no. of | | | unofficial members (8) \> | | | official members (6) in 1966 | | | | | | e.g. Leg Council : no. of | | | unofficial members (13) = | | | official members (13) in 1966 (in | | | which the no. of Chinese members | | | increased from 4 before WWII to 9 | | | in 1966) | | | | | | e.g. Urban Council : elected | | | unofficial members were increased | | | from 2 to 4 in 1952 | | | | | | e.g. Urban Council : half of the | | | 16 unofficial members were | | | directly elected in 1965 (voting | | | qualifications were strict : only | | | payers on the jury list & those | | | with professional qualifications | | | \could vote) | | | | | | no elected seats in the 2 | | | Councils until 1966 | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | 2. **Britain regaining its | B. | | reputation** | | | | | | **\~** the surrender of the | | | British to the Japanese ruined | | | their reputation | | | | | | backlash against British rule | | | appeared in local newspaper after | | | WWII | | | | | | urged the cancellation of | | | Westerners' special privilege & | | | the right to participate in | | | politics | | | | | | Br had to let more Chinese to | | | participate in politics | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ **Major Political & Institutional Changes in Hong Kong in 1945-1966** +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | #### Background | ### Major political & institution | | | al changes (1945-66) | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | 3. **Establishment of New | C. **Expansion & specialization | | China** | of gov't departments** | | | | | **\~** in 1949, PRC was set up | **\~** many independent | | | departments were separated from | | it stressed to resume its | the Secretariat for Chinese | | exercise of the sovereignty of HK | Affairs due to economy & pop grew | | in due course | | | | e.g. Labour Department (1946) | | Br was allowed to keep ruling HK | | | in the short term on the | e.g. Social Welfare Department | | condition that no radical pol | (1958) | | reforms would be carried out | | | | e.g. Information Services | | this strengthened the legitimacy | Department (1959) | | of Br in carrying out limited | | | reforms | e.g. Immigration Department | | | (1961) | | | | | | e.g. Agriculture & Fisheries | | | Department (1964) | | | | | | no. of civil servants rose | | | steadily (from less than 10,000 | | | in pre-WWII period to around | | | 50,000 in the early 1960s) | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | 4. | D. **Improving communication | | | with the public** | | | | | | **1. Establishment of advisory | | | bodies** | | | | | | **\~** in order to devise | | | policies that catered for public | | | interest & satisfy the local | | | elites' desire to enter into | | | politics, an extensive | | | consultation system was | | | established | | | | | | e.g. Company Law Revision | | | Committee (1962) | | | | | | e.g. Action Committee Against | | | Narcotics (1965) | | | | | | e.g. Transport Advisory Committee | | | (1965) | | | | | | in 1962, 72 advisory committees | | | were formed within the gov't | | | structure | | | | | | **2. Setting up the UMELCO | | | Office** | | | | | | **\~** in order to strengthen | | | relations between the unofficial | | | members & the public, UMELCO | | | Office was set up in 1963 | | | | | | the public could express their | | | opinions in public interest | | | | | | the public could complain against | | | gov't departments (though rarely | | | a complaint was filed in the | | | 1960s) | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | **4. Migration of the mainland | | | Chinese to the South** | | | | | | \~ in 1946, Civil war broke out | | | in mainland | | | | | | \~ after 1949, no. of mass mov't | | | (e.g. Land Reform ; Three-Anti ; | | | Five-Anti ; GLF) | | | | | | unstable political conditions in | | | mainland brought a large no. of | | | Chinese to HK (HK pop reached 3 | | | mil in 1961) | | | | | | increasing demand for public | | | service | | | | | | the gov't had to introduce more | | | housing & social welfare measures | | | to meet the great demands | | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | | E. **Localization in the civil | | | service** | | | | | | **\~** Before WWII, positions of | | | middle & senior ranks in the | | | civil service were all taken up | | | by the British | | | | | | \~ After WWII, a policy of | | | localization in the civil service | | | was implemented | | | | | | e.g. in 1948 Tsui Ka-cheung was | | | appointed as the Administrative | | | Officer | | | | | | \~ in the 1950s, recruiting the | | | local Chinese as A.O. was on a | | | regular basis | | | | | | \~ in 1964, 16.3% of the A.O. | | | were Chinese | | | | | | e.g. Anson Chan, Fok Lo | | | Shiu-ching, Yeung Kai-yin were | | | among the Chinese A.O. hired in | | | the 1960s | | | | | | however, all positions of | | | directorate officers were still | | | held by the British | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+