Word: patten
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Since then, the franchise has gradually expanded, thanks largely to the dogged efforts of British Governor Chris Patten, who has done his best to tweak China since his arrival on the scene three years ago. In the face of China's displeasure and threats to dissolve all elected bodies upon the 1997 takeover as well as conservative and Pro-China opposition within the colony, Patten lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and institated direct elections for local councils. He also expanded to 20 the number of directly elected seats in the 60-member Legislative Council, while abloshing...
...many Hong Kong residents, along with some outside observers, think Patten's labors are foolish, even suicidal. China has, after all, promised to preserve Hong Kong's free-market system and basic liberties for at least 50 years, giving the region a large degree of autonomy in exchange for silence on national and foreign affairs. And the way most people see it, China has no reason to renege. It's what some commentators call the "golden goose" theory: Hong Kong's thriving economy, capitalist infrastructure, and status as a hub of world business make it such a tantalizing prize that...
...this way of thinking, folks like Patten and Martin Lee are gate-crashers at 1997's tea party. Patten has been vilified in the Chinese press, while big business tugs at his sleeve, urging him to take it easy (The Economist called the 1994 democracy debates "a distraction" from more important matters, such as building a new airport.) More conservative Hong Kong residents worry that democratic saber-rattling invites a harsher crackdown in '97 and feel the best strategy may be to cuddle up to the new motherland...
...their part, Patten and the British government realize that a more independent legislature would be a powerful bulwark against Chinese political interference after the takeover. And perhaps they hope that a bit of democracy can find its way into the China-bound cash flow. If Hong Kong's capitalist ideals can infect the mainland, why can't democratic ones...
Like any democrat worth his salt, Lee has turned his back on the powers that be to seek a mandate from the people. And on the surface, he seems to have succeeded. In 1991, his Democrats won 12 of 18 directly elected seats in the legislature. When Patten opened the local councils to direct election last year, the Democrats won 75 of 346 seats, the single largest block. The three pro-China parties together won only 66, despite substantial backing from big business and the mainland. This week, Lee's party again beat the pro-Beijing groups...