GR 2000
CONFIDENTIAL
DESK BY 04123OZ
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG 041122Z JAN 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
¡ JANDES
TELEGRAM NUMBER 38 OF 4 JANUARY
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
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MIPT: WHITE PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE
GOVERNMENT.
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TEXT OF DRAFT IS AS FOLLOWS:
INTRODUCTION
I RISE TO MOVE THE MOTION STANDING IN MY NAME ON THE ORDER
PAPER: ''THAT THIS COUNCIL WELCOMES THE PLANS AND INTENTIONS
DESCRIBED IN THE WHITE PAPER ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG.'!
2. IN YOUR ADDRESS TO THIS COUNCIL ON 21 NOVEMBER LAST YEAR,
SIR, YOU OUTLINED THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS FOR THE NEXT STAGE IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG, AS SET OUT IN THE WHITE PAPER. BUT I THINK IT IS WORTHWHILE REMINDING MEMBERS, AT THE OUTSET OF THIS DEBATE, OF THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THOSE PLANS.
3. THERE IS TO BE ASSEMBLED A NEW STYLE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WITH
EFFECT FROM THE 1985-86 SESSION AND MEMBERS WILL HOLD OFFICE FOR
THREE YEARS. ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD, IN SEPTEMBER 1985, FOR 24 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. TWELVE WILL BE ELECTED BY AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE COMPOSED OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL,
THE NEW PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS,
AND TWELVE BY SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES.
4. WITHIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, THE DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS WILL
BE GROUPED INTO TEN GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES, REPRESENTING ROUGHLY 500,000 PEOPLE EACH, WHILE MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE NEW PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL FORM TWO SPECIAL
CONSTITUENCIES. EACH OF THESE CONSTITUENCIES WILL RETURN ONE
MEMBER TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THUS THERE WILL BE 12 MEMBERS
IN ALL ELECTED BY THESE POPULIST'' CONSTITUENCIES.
5. INITIALLY THERE WILL BE NINE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES. THEY
WILL REPRESENT THE COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, FINANCIAL, LABOUR AND SOCIAL SERVICES SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE TEACHING, LEGAL, MEDICAL AND COMBINED ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURAL, PLANNING
AND SURVEYING PROFESSIONS.
6. THE COMMERCIAL CONSTITUENCY WILL BE REPRESENTED BY THE HONG
KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER
CONFIDENTIAL
LOF