ABSTRACT
None the less, at the time of the handover, public nostalgia toward colonial rule and anxieties about a 4pro-Beijing' and pro-business government still haunted the new regime of Hong Kong. The fact that Tung was a political newcomer without a strong and organized base of political support exacerbated the political difficulties of the HKSAR government. Nevertheless, the Tung administration had managed to 'borrow' some political capital from the departing colonial regime by maintaining intact its civil service, by appointing a number of 'pro-British' politicians to his governing team, by vowing to retain the basic policies of his predecessor, and by promising performance in the economic and social spheres. At the same time, the narrow base on which he was 'elected' and his political conservatism did not endear him to the liberal elements in the community.
