Chris Patten also announced changes to the internal workings of Hong Kong's system of Government up to 1997. I have seen some comment on his decision not to have in future any elected
LegCo members, such as Martin Lee, on his Executive Council. There is no intention of downgrading the Executive Council, or of excluding elected politicians from positions of influence.
The aim is to draw a clearer and more workable distinction
between the roles of the Executive Council
confidential advice and doing strategic thinking and the Legislative Council holding the Government to account (for example, through a new Governor's question time), scrutinising legislation and voting funds. Taken with other measures to improve the Government's accountability to the Legislative Council, all this will give elected legislators the scope to operate with a new effectiveness.
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giving
These changes also mean that a number of experienced legislators step down from the Executive Council. We have valued their wise advice over the years: they still have much to offer Hong Kong in other roles. Some new, mainly younger people have been appointed to replace them. With the Governor, his administration and his legislature, they make a formidably talented team. They have much to do in the next
They deserve our full support.
five years.
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