| The Lord MacLehose of Beoch | |
|---|---|
| 25th Governor of Hong Kong | |
| In office 19 November 1971 – 20 May 1982 |
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| Preceded by | Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
| Succeeded by | Sir Edward Youde |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 October 1917 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 27 May 2000 (aged 82) Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Profession | diplomat, colonial administrator |
Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch, KT, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, DL (Chinese: 麥理浩, 16 October 1917 – 27 May 2000) was the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, from 1971 to 1982.
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Murray MacLehose was born in Glasgow, Scotland in October 1917. He attended Rugby School 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.[1] MacLehose was appointed the British Ambassador to Vietnam in 1967.[1]
Before being appointed Governor of Hong Kong in 1971, he served at the British Embassy in Beijing and, subsequently, as the Ambassador to Denmark.
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,[2] 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.[3] 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%.[4]
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 major policies introduced during the MacLehose era included:
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.
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.[26] When he was 80 years old, he attended the Handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997.
MacLehose died in Ayrshire, Scotland in May 2000.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Oliver Wright |
Ambassador to Denmark 1969 - 1971 |
Succeeded by Andrew Stark |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir David Clive Crosbie Trench |
Governor of Hong Kong 1971 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Sir Edward Youde |
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