18
mentioned in paragraph 4 above, some possible methods have been suggested in the Green Paper. Basically, it is envisaged that
that most prominent local organisations and/or institutions in each constituency should be invited
invited to join together to elect from amongst their members a representative to be a member of the Legislative Council. A list of the various constituencies and some relevant organisations in each constituency is attached at Annex B for illustrative purposes. There may, of course, be other organisations which should be included in the list.
19
Further detailed examination of the organisations to be included under each constituency will take place in consultation with appropriate Branch Secretaries and Heads of Departments in
in due course. Matters that
that will
will have to be examined carefully will include the ordinances, constitutions, articles of association, etc., under which these various organisations are set up,
set up, with a view to ensuring that they reflect the interests of their constituency adequately and that their membership provisions are clearly defined and not easily abused, etc.
20
It is the intention that legislation should be enacted to provide for the election of representatives by the selected functional constituencies to be members of the Legislative Council and to prescribe the procedures to be followed in these elections. It is also
also the intention that the elections should be conducted by Returning Officers who would be Government officials. As stated in the Green Paper, in order to qualitfy as an elector in a functional consituency it will normally be necessary for a person to be a registered elector on the general electoral roll for the Urban Council, the new Regional Council and the District Boards; and to qualify to be on the general elctoral roll a persons must be aged 21 or over and must have resided in Hong Kong for seven years immdediately preceeding registration or be a Hong Kong belonger. It will probably be necessary to include provision in the legislation to stipulate that an elector may not vote in more than one functional consituency, even though
even though he may have multiple qualifications.
21
In the case of those organisations on the list at Annex B whose membership is on an individual basis it would not be too difficult to establish, on
on the
the basis of their membership lists, who is qualified to vote, and to prepare registers of electors for those constituencies e.g. the legal profession, the medical profession, etc. However, in the case of those organisations whose membership is on a corporate or institutional basis e.8.
the Chambers of Commerce, the Association of Banks, etc., it may be rather more difficult.