[spacehunt]

No, by "vested interests" I mean whoever had power at the time. In the 70s-80s it was the ExCo, which had on it a few business elites hand-picked by the British.

In the 80s-90s, as China opened up its markets and needed HK investment, many business elites cozied up with Beijing, gaining political power in the process; they became the vested interests today. But they are not exactly the same group as the vested interests in the 80s.

> > However, the proposal was ruled out after a government consultation concluded that people were 'sharply divided' over its introduction that year.

By that time the CCP was heavily involved. People feared that introducing direct elections would (and eventually did) antagonise Beijing.

> rather not be a pawn in an opportunistic power grab by business elites

This is an interesting take. Do you have anything to support this claim?