SECRET
20. THIS SYSTEM OF CONSULTATION AND CONSENSUS HAS GROWN UP AROUND TWO SEPARATE APPROACHES TO THE QUESTION OF HOW THE PEOPLE OF HONG
KONG SHOULD BE REPRESENTED. TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHARED
INTERESTS AMONG THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED - FIRST, THOSE ARISING FROM THEIR PLACE OF RESIDENCE: SECOND, THOSE ARISING FROM
THEIR OCCUPATIONS. THESE GROUPINGS CAN BE DESCRIBED AS
''CONSTITUENCIES''
CONSTITUENCIES.
GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES AND FUNCTIONAL
21. THE GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES ARE BASED ON INSTITUTIONS
SUCH AS THE URBAN COUNCIL, THE HEUNG YEE KUK, THE RURAL COMMITTEES
AND, MORE RECENTLY, THE DISTRICT BOARDS.
22. THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES ARE BASED ON PEOPLE'S COMMON
INTERESTS, SUCH AS COMMERCE, INDUSTRY, LAW, MEDICINE, FINANCE, EDUCATION, TRADE UNIONS, ETC. MANY OF THESE CONSTITUENCIES HAVE
A VERY LONG HISTORY IN HONG KONG.
23. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE RATHER UNIQUE CONSTITUENCIES HAS BEEN
ENCOURAGED TO A CONSIDERABLE DEGREE BY THE COMPACT GEOGRAPHICAL
NATURE OF HONG KONG.
24. IT IS FROM THESE GEOGRPAHICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES
THAT THE APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS
OF GOVERNMENT, IN PARTICULAR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, TRADITIONALLY HAVE BEEN DRAWN. THEY HAVE BEEN
SELECTED TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY AND ITS
MAIN PRE-OCCUPATIONS, AND THEY PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE. MOREOVER, THE SYSTEM HAS EVOLVED STEADILY TO KEEP
PACE WITH THE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG: FOR EXAMPLE,
THE NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAS BEEN
DOUBLED DURING THE PAST TEN YEARS, ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE URBAN
COUNCIL HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FOR MANY
YEARS, AND MORE RECENTLY TWO ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT
BOARDS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
25. IT IS PROPOSED TO BUILD ON THESE GEOGRAPHICAL AND FUNCTIONAL
CONSTITUENCIES BY DEVELOPING THE PRESENT SYSTEM WHEREBY ALL
UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ARE SELECTED AND
APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FROM THESE CONSTITUENCIES INTO A SYSTEM
WHICH WILL PROVIDE FOR A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL
MEMBERS TO BE ELECTED FROM WITHIN THESE CONSTITUENCIES TO THE
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
26. IN THE CASE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES, IT IS PROPOSED
THAT AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED CONSISTING OF ALL
THE ELECTED AND APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL,
THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS, WHICH WOULD ELECT A
SPECIFIED NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
IN THE CASE OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES IT WILL BE NECESSARY
TO DEFINE CLEARLY THOSE CONSTITUENCIES WHICH SHOULD BE INVITED
TO ELECT REPRESENTATIVES TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND TO DEVISE
APPROPRIATE MEANS OF CONDUCTING THOSE ELECTIONS.
SECRET-S
/27.