ABSTRACT
Hong Kong had been British for some 150 years and yet Hong Kong had not been granted a constitution which gave the right to vote until virtually the eve of the territory's retrocession to China. Hong Kong was established for specific purposes, and its society and government were designed to further them. This chapter explores the nature of the electorate, an examination which describes the corporate culture of the territory, of the absence of any pretence of a social contract, of any acceptance that the will of the majority should prevail. Merchant constitutional arrangement would seem at first glance to be contrary to the Colony's purpose in serving the British business community. Despite the potential for change, the revolution in China, especially its manifestation in the Red Guard movement, made all in Hong Kong very conscious of their relationship to China. The corporate culture had adjusted to the extent that the communal factor was minimized.
