> Nominally, it had a local legislature, but it was toothless to pass any serious labour or economic reforms. Its members were appointed by the governor until t

> Nominally, it had a local legislature, but it was toothless to pass any serious labour or economic reforms. Its members were appointed by the governor until the last ~10 years. The last governor Chris Patten implemented democratic reforms at the very end, despite protests by the Chinese government. A meaningfully democratic legislature only existed between 1994 and 1997. Before that, the legislature wasn't even "toothless", it was simply a rubber stamp, or (less cynically) a way for the government to consult influential business interests ($$$$) about impending government policies.