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rejecting (paragraph 6) an arrangement made under which Urban Council members are appointed to Legislative Council. The Governor's fear appears to be that the demagogues will enter Legislative Council in this way, that personal merit and ability will count for nothing at the Urban hustings and in the processes whereby members are selected for Legislative Council appointment.
This might prove to be the case but it would be the price that would have to be paid for some measure of true representation of all interests and walks of life in the Colony. Appointments to the Urban, Legislative and Executive Councils seem at present to be regarded very much as steps in a civil servants' promotion ladder. The Governor's own views on the necessity to groom candidates for Council membership might appear to indicate an obstacle to radical change in the use of the nomination system if also held by his successor.
padd
The proposal examined and rejected is the appointment of a number of elected members of the Urban Council. I would have thought there were alternatives, e.g. all the sixteen nominated and elected unofficial members to select (on the electoral college principle) four of their number from whom the Governor would appoint two to Legislative Council. It would not necessarily be the elected members who would get to Legislative Council although one would expect to find one out of the eight (or ten) such members to be chosen. Would there, in these circumstances, really be a danger that the Urban Council elections would come to be regarded as elections for Legislative Council? And with a choice for the Governor of taking two out of four, there might be some opportunity to ensure that standards were not unduly lowered,
B.
No increase of unofficial members on the Urban Council can mean very much given the present restricted and apathetic electorate and the narrow functions and responsibilities of that Council.
The extension of the electorate and of functions raises very awkward issues and needs careful examination; and in terms of securing any genuine advance on the present position they are both closely linked together.
10. Tempting as it may be to make an early announcement of these proposed changes, there is a danger that as now formulated they would please none of the interests that have been urging the need for change, unless we can say something specific about the way in which the nomination system will be used and can give some public assurance that the Urban Council franchise and its functions are to be examined. Failing this, I feel that we shall make no impact on critical opinion (either here or in Hong Kong). We need to make the most of the very limited range of changes we are able to offer and rather than present them in dribs and drabs it might be better to await further examination of the Urban Council matters (on which Sir David Trench would have to take the lead) with a view to a comprehensive announcement later in the year.
(W. S. Carter)
19th February 1964
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