Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch

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The Lord MacLehose of Beoch
Governor Murray MacLehose.jpg
25th Governor of Hong Kong
In office
19 November 1971 – 20 May 1982
Preceded by Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench
Succeeded by Sir Edward Youde
Personal details
Born (1917-10-16)16 October 1917
Glasgow, Scotland
Died 27 May 2000(2000-05-27) (aged 82)
Ayrshire, Scotland
Alma mater Balliol College, Oxford
Profession diplomat, colonial administrator
A foundation stone laid by Sir Murray MacLehose, in Pao Yue-Kong Swimming pool, Hong Kong

Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch KT GBE KCMG KCVO DL (Chinese: 麥理浩, 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000) was British politician, diplomat and the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982.[1]

Contents

Early life and career [edit]

Murray MacLehose was born in Glasgow, Scotland in October 1917 as the second child of to Hamish Alexander MacLehose and Margaret Bruce Black. He attended Rugby School in 1931 and Balliol College, Oxford.

MacLehose was principal private secretary to Foreign Secretary George Brown in the late 1960s.

His career almost stalled when he left a copy of a confidential telegram at a bank in 1967. The document, from the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, to US President Lyndon B. Johnson concerning the Vietnam War, was turned in by another British diplomat who found it. Wilson and Brown prevented an investigation of this security breach, because they appreciated Maclehose's ability, thus saving his career.[2] MacLehose was appointed the British Ambassador to South Vietnam in 1967.[2]

Before being appointed Governor of Hong Kong in 1971, he served at the British Embassy in Beijing and, subsequently, as the Ambassador to Denmark.

Governor of Hong Kong [edit]

MacLehose became Governor of Hong Kong in November 1971, holding this position until May 1982, making him Hong Kong's longest serving governor; his 10 years and 6 months in office exceeding Sir Alexander Grantham's previous record by one month. He was widely and affectionately known as "Jock the Sock", in reference both to his Scottish heritage and to his name.

MacLehose stood well over six feet tall and looked every inch the benign and genial colonial governor. However, he always took great pains to avoid wearing his gubernatorial uniform, as he felt very ill at ease in it.

A diplomat with a British Labour Party background,[3] MacLehose introduced a wide range of reforms during his time in office that laid the foundation of modern Hong Kong as a cohesive, self-aware society. He had Chinese recognised as an official language for communication, alongside English. He greatly expanded welfare and set up a massive public housing programme. He rooted out corruption, with the creation of the ICAC. By establishing the District Boards, he greatly improved government accountability.[4] He oversaw the construction of the Mass Transit Railway, Hong Kong's transportation backbone, and other major infrastructure projects. On his watch, community and arts facilities were expanded, and public campaigns, such as against litter and violent crime, were introduced.

These changes required increased funding from the UK Government Treasury, and it was against some opposition that, in his first two years in office, Hong Kong government expenditure grew by over 50%.[5]

Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) [edit]

In 1974, MacLehose established the ICAC (the Independent Commission Against Corruption). The aim was to combat the then-prevalent corruption which existed in all spheres of life in Hong Kong, especially in government departments such as Fire Services, Lands, Buildings and police.

The creation of ICAC and then their methods sparked off disgruntlement in many departments; but especially amongst the police and firemen who were the most high profile targets. Faced with a potential police rebellion and the severe disruption that this would have caused to everyday life, MacLehose extended a general amnesty to the police force in order to defuse the situation. Some officers (especially the notorious detective station sergeants) were, however, excluded from the amnesty and, as of 2006, there are still warrants out for the arrest of some of them. Although the measure was effective, it caused considerable misgivings, especially amongst the small group of honest police officers who had resisted the temptation to engage and benefit from corrupt practices and who, as a result, had suffered adverse career consequences.

Eventually, however, the ICAC helped Hong Kong become one of the least corrupt societies in Asia if not the world.

Other notable policies [edit]

Other major policies introduced during the MacLehose era included:

  • The introduction of 9 years of compulsory education.[6]
  • The introduction of the Ten-year Housing Programme in 1972 to alleviate housing problems.[7]
  • The establishment of satellite 'new towns',[8] such as Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.
  • The establishment of the Country Parks.[9]
  • The introduction and approval of a Labour Ordinance.[10]
  • The establishment of the social assistance scheme.[11]
  • The construction of the Mass Transit Railway.[12]
  • An expansion of community facilities.[13]
  • The adoption of Chinese as an official language.[14]
  • The introduction of paid holidays.[15]
  • An increase in social service provision for the elderly.[11]
  • The introduction of infirmity and disability allowances.[16]
  • The introduction of redundancy payments for workers.[15]
  • The introduction of the Home Ownership Scheme to encourage owner-occupation.[17]
  • The introduction of a major rehabilitation programme for the disabled and disadvantaged.[18]
  • An increase in the number of schools and hospitals.[19]
  • The introduction of Criminal and Law Enforcement Injuries Compensation.[20]
  • The introduction of Traffic Accident Victims Assistance.[21]
  • The introduction of special needs allowances for the elderly.[22]
  • The introduction of sickness allowances for eligible manual and lower-paid non-manual workers.[23]
  • The introduction of weekly rest days.[24]
  • The introduction of Labour Tribunals.[25]
  • The establishment of the Junior Secondary Education Assessment (JSEA) system to increase the number of subsidized places in senior secondary education.[26]

Hong Kong sovereignty negotiations [edit]

Main article: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong

In 1979, MacLehose raised the question of Britain's 99-year lease of the New Territories (an area that encompasses all territories north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula), with Deng Xiaoping. The talks, although inconclusive at the time, eventually involved top British Government officials and paved the way for the handover of the Hong Kong in its entirety, including those parts ceded to the UK in perpetuity, to the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997.

Post-governorship and later life [edit]

After his governorship ended in 1982, MacLehose was made a life peer as Baron MacLehose of Beoch, of Maybole in the District of Kyle and Carrick and of Victoria in Hong Kong, later that year. In 1983, MacLehose was made a Knight of the Thistle. In 1992 he was awarded an honorary doctorate (LLD) by the University of Hong Kong.[27] When he was 80 years old, he attended the Handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997.

MacLehose died in Ayrshire, Scotland in May 2000.

Honours and recognition [edit]

Offices held [edit]

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Sir Nicholas Henderson		 Principal Private Secretary
to the Foreign Secretary
1965-1967		 Succeeded by
Sir Donald Maitland
Preceded by
Sir Peter Wilkinson		 British Ambassador
to Vietnam
1967–1969		 Succeeded by
Sir John Moreton
Preceded by
Sir Oliver Wright		 British Ambassador
to Denmark
1969–1971		 Succeeded by
Sir Andrew Stark
Preceded by
Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench		 Governor and Commander-in-Chief,
Hong Kong
1971–1982		 Succeeded by
Sir Edward Youde

References [edit]

 Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (March 2011)
  1. ^ A & C Black (2000). "MacLEHOSE OF BEOCH, Baron". Who Was Who, online edition. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2012-05-02. 
  2. ^ a b Peter Graff, Mislaid MacLehose cable reveals UK efforts to end Vietnam War, The Standard, 2 November 2007
  3. ^ The East Asian welfare model: welfare Orientalism and the state by Roger Goodman, Gordon White, and Huck-ju Kwon
  4. ^ District Administration Hong Kong Government
  5. ^ Fitzpatrick, Liam (13 November 2006). "Sir Murray MacLehose". 60 Years of Asian Heroes (Time). Retrieved 21 March 2012. 
  6. ^ Social policy reform in Hong Kong and Shanghai: a tale of two cities by Linda Wong, Lynn T. White, and Shixun Gui
  7. ^ Hong Kong's housing policy: a case study in social justice by Betty Yung
  8. ^ A concise history of Hong Kong by John Mark Carroll
  9. ^ ibid
  10. ^ Hong Kong employment law: a practical guide by Pattie Walsh Labour ordinance
  11. ^ a b Professional ideologies and preferences in social work: a global study by Idit Weiss and John Dixon
  12. ^ Frommer's Hong Kong by Beth Reiber
  13. ^ Growing with Hong Kong: the University and its graduates: the first 90 years by University of Hong Kong
  14. ^ Language policy, culture, and identity in Asian contexts by Amy Tsui and James W. Tollefson
  15. ^ a b Hong Kong's tortuous democratization: a comparative analysis by Ming Sing
  16. ^ Understanding the Political Culture of Hong Kong: The Paradox of Activism and Depolitization by Wai-man Lam
  17. ^ Hong Kong, China: growth, structural change, and economic stability during the transition by John Dodsworth and Dubravko Mihaljek
  18. ^ Rehabilitation: A Life's Work by Harry Fang Sinyang and Lawrence Jeffery
  19. ^ Understanding the political culture of Hong Kong: the paradox of activism and depoliticization by Wai-Man Lam
  20. ^ Promoting prosperity: the Hong Kong way of social policy by Catherine M. Jones
  21. ^ ibid
  22. ^ ibid
  23. ^ ibid
  24. ^ ibid
  25. ^ ibid
  26. ^ ibid
  27. ^ University of Hong Kong, Honorary Degrees Congregation

External links [edit]

Authority control

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