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.
27. SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT DIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, ON A UNIVERSAL FRANCHISE, BASED ON EITHER CONSTITUENCIES OR A SINGLE LIST, SHOULD BE INTRODUCED NOW. DIRECT
ELECTIONS HAVE EMERGED OR BEEN INTRODUCED AS A STANDARD FEATURE
OF THE GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM IN MANY COUNTRIES WHERE THEY HAVE
PROVED WELL SUITED TO THE SOCIETY THEY SERVE. THEY HAVE NOT, HOWEVER,
BEEN UNIVERSALLY SUCCESSFUL AS A MEANS OF ENSURING STABLE
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT. IN SOME CASES THE POLITICAL PREPARATION
FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS HAS BEEN INADEQUATE: IN OTHERS THEIR FORM DID
NOT ALLOW THEM TO TAKE ROOT IN THE CUSTOMS OF THE HOST SOCIETY: AND
IN CONSEQUENCE THEY HAVE NOT ENDURED OR HAVE FAILED TO RECEIVE
ADEQUATE SUPPORT FROM THE POPULATION AT LARGE. IN THE CASE OF HONG
KONG IT IS CLEARLY ESSENTIAL THAT THE STABILITY AND RELATIVE
HARMONY OF THE COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN BUILT UP OVER A LONG PERIOD, SHOULD BE PRESERVED, PARTICULARLY AT THIS TIME: THAT THE
SPECIAL POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO
ACCOUNT: AND THAT FULL WEIGHT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO REPRESENTATION
OF THE ECONOMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SECTORS OF HONG KONG SOCIETY
WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL TO FUTURE CONFIDENCE AND PROSPERITY. DIRECT
ELECTIONS WOULD RUN THE RISK OF A SWIFT INTRODUCTION OF ADVERSARIAL
POLITICS, AND WOULD INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT OF INSTABILITY AT A
CRUCIAL TIME. HONG KONG HAS HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF DIRECT OR
INDIRECT ELECTIONS TO THE CENTRAL ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT, AND
CONSTITUENCY BASED ELECTIONS EVEN AT REGIONAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL
ARE A RELATIVELY NEW FEATURE OF POLITICAL LIFE IN THE TERRITORY.
28. IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS SHOULD
BE__INTRODUCED, A FEW AT A TIME, INTO THE COUNCIL. SINCE IT WOULD
NOT BE POSSIBLE TO TREAT SOME PARTS OF HONG KONG DIFFERENTLY FROM
THE OTHERS IN THE MATTER OF REPRESENTATION, MEMBERS WOULD HAVE TO BE
ELECTED ON THE BASIS OF EITHER A SINGLE LIST OR CONSTITUENCIES
COVERING THE WHOLE OF THE TERRITORY, IN THE LATTER CASE, IF THERE WERE ONLY A FEW MEMBERS IN THE INITIAL STAGES, THEIR CONSTITUENCIES
WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY LARGE INDEED. SUCH A SYSTEM WOULD THEREFORE
NOT ONLY RUN THE RISK OF INTRODUCING DIRECT ELECTIONS PREMATURELY,
BUT WOULD DO SO ON THE BASIS OF CONSTITUENCIES SO LARGE THAT THE
ABILITY OF ONE MEMBER TO REPRESENT THEM WOULD BE CALLED SERIOUSLY
INTO QUESTION.
29. THUS IT IS CONSIDERED THAT THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS
TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE AT THE PRESENT TIME, ALTHOUGH IN DUE COURSE, AS THE POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG EVOLVE, FURTHER THOUGHT MIGHT BE GIVEN
TO THIS POSSIBILITY IF POPULAR SUPPORT FOR THIS IDEA DEVELOPS.
30. EVEN THE INTRODUCTION OF A SYSTEM UNDER WHICH UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS
ARE ELECTED INDIRECTLY BY AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND BY FUNCTIONAL
CONSTITUENCIES WILL BE A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
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