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Urban Councillors and Rural Committee Chairmen will have seats
provided for them. The Board speaks for the District and advises the
Management Committee, and if necessary the Secretary for Home Affairs
or the New Territories, on how its needs should be met. The scheme is
already operating in all New Territories Districts, albeit so far
without an elected element. Management committees have already been
established in all urban districts and the process of establishing
District Boards is going well and will be completed by next March.
The scheme is proving a significant success even on its
present basis. But interest now focuses on the first set of elections
which will be in New Territories Districts next March and for which
registration of voters is now taking place. The necessary legislation
was passed in July this year to provide for elections to both the
District Boards and the Urban Council based on constituencies and a new
broad franchise. As this is something new to Hong Kong, it is the
Government's duty to ensure the public understand the scheme and
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realise the need for local public involvement in District Administration,
and understand how they can register and vote. So far in the New
Territories 90,000 applications for registration have been received.
Registration will take place in the City Districts in March and April
next year and elections will be held in September.
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The reform follows an evolution that has been taking place
over a period of years. So though the form is entirely new to Hong
Kong it is not a step in the dark, nor does it circumscribe the essential
powers of the Central Government or of this Council, the Urban Council
or the traditional role of the Heung Yee Kuk. Nevertheless this
partnership in District Administration will produce new and much sharper
/focus