CONFIDENTIAL
3196 - 1
TERRITORIES, UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK, HAD EXISTED
FOR MANY YEARS, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, IN THE LATE 1970S,
SOUGHT TO INTRODUCE MORE BROADLY BASED POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN
GOVERNMENT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, PARTLY IN ORDER TO FILL THE GAP
IN CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RESIDENTS OF THE
NEW TOWNS. FOLLOWING A TRIAL PERIOD WITH DISTRICT ADVISORY
BOARDS IN THE 8 ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES,
AND CITY DISTRICT COMMITTEES IN THE 10 URBAN DISTRICTS, DISTRICT
BOARDS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BECAME STATUTORY BODIES IN APRIL
1982. URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS BECAME STATUTORY SIX MONTHS LATER.
THE BOARDS' MEMBERSHIP COMPRISED MEMBERS ELECTED BY
CONSTITUENCIES, APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS AND EITHER URBAN COUNCILLORS OR CHAIRMEN OF NEW
TERRITORIES RURAL COMMITTEES. THEY HAD MAINLY AN ADVISORY ROLE,
WITH SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF DISTRICT AFFAIRS.
17. IN 1984 THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THAT THE
REPRESENTATIVE STATUS OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS WAS TO BE
STRENGTHENED BY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE ELECTED ELEMENT.
ELECTIONS IN MARCH 1985 RETURNED 237 ELECTED MEMBERS, AN INCREASE
OF 105 FROM 132. THERE ARE NOW 369 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS IN 19
DISTRICT BOARDS: EACH BOARD ELECTS ITS OWN CHAIRMAN: AND THERE
ARE NO LONGER ANY OFFICIAL MEMBERS.
18.
AT THE BEGINNING OF 1985 THE ELECTORAL ROLL CARRIED OVER 1.4
MILLION NAMES, REPRESENTING 49 PER CENT OF AN ESTIMATED TOTAL POTENTIAL ELECTORATE OF 2.9 MILLION. OF THOSE REGISTERED, OVER
995,000 WERE RESIDENT IN THE URBAN AREAS AND THUS ENTITLED TO
VOTE AT URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS AND AT DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS
FOR URBAN AREA CONSTITUENCIES: OVER 426,000 WERE RESIDENT IN THE
NEW TERRITORIES AND ENTITLED TO VOTE AT DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS
IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND AT ELECTIONS FOR THE NEW REGIONAL
COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN MARCH 1986.
(B) URBAN COUNCIL
19. THE URBAN COUNCIL, WHICH HAS HAD ELECTED MEMBERS SINCE SOON AFTER ITS INCEPTION IN THE 1880S AS THE SANITARY BOARD, HAD ITS
ELECTED MEMBERSHIP INCREASED TO 12 MEMBERS IN 1973 WHEN IT WAS
RECONSTITUTED AS A STATUTORY BODY WITH FINANCIAL AUTONOMY.
3
CONFIDENTIAL
IT
·