Revisiting the golden era of MacLehose and the dynamics of social reforms

Abstract

The so-called “MacLehose era” has been fondly remembered as a period marking the turning point in colonial rule in Hong Kong and its socioeconomic development in the postwar decades. This article, however, argues that it was London’s initiatives summarized in the document Hong Kong Planning Paper that accounted for the acceleration of social reforms in the 1970s. Contrary to popular perception, MacLehose, who was beholden to local constraints, appeared to be a reluctant reformer. His inclination to defend his vision of the colony’s interests brought him into heated exchanges and debates with British officials who were driven by different political calculations and strategic concerns back home. The altercations uncovered in this article reveal that the colony’s perimeter for action is certainly defined by the position of the sovereign; yet, the outcome of the process was hardly preordained. Beneath the facade of subservience and accommodation, colonial administrators had stubbornly defended their vision of local interests and tried to implement the reforms at their own pace. They appeared not to be swayed by the asymmetry of power in constitutional terms.

New Town Planning as Diplomatic Planning: Scalar Politics, British–Chinese Relations, and Hong Kong

“…This stereotypical imaginary persisted until the recent archival research told another story. The archives show the Governor, who was left with the last word in decision-making in the British coloniality 32 , did not resolute as what we commonly think 33 .…”

Public opinion polls and covert colonialism in British Hong Kong

“…80 It was believed that this not only enhanced the state's legitimacy, but also provided Britain with powerful bargaining chips in their negotiations with China. 81 Along with the Hong Kong Festival and the 'Keep Hong Kong Clean' campaign, the state introduced legislative changes, such as legalizing Chinese to become the official language in 1974. 82 Nonetheless, there were increased tensions between Hong Kong and Britain.…”

Public assessments of the police and policing in Hong Kong

“…There is a long history of internal dissent and the use of political policing against “subversives” and public order policing against those deemed a threat to peace and order in Hong Kong. Public riots in the 1950s and 1960s revealed widespread antipathy and disconnection among Hong Kong citizens toward the colonial government, which behooved the government to amend its image and to instigate a series of reform programmes including with the police (Cooper, 1970; Jones & Vagg, 2007; Yep & Lui, 2010). As Jones and Vagg (2007, p. 320) remind us, “criminal and administrative sanctions, its resettlement programme, its paramilitary and public order capacity, its political policing and its ‘heart and minds’ policy” were all indicators of the colonial regime's “nervousness about civil unrest” especially during the 1950s and 1960s.…”