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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, we are given the chance just once every year to talk about something outside normal jurisdiction.
Therefore, I am not going to give up that right.
On District Boards and their development
While nomination for this year's election of District Board members is not yet closed, as many as over 270 candidates have been registered up to yesterday. District Board elections are quite recent affairs in Hong Kong. In fact, this year's election is only the second time, but there have been some rapid changes and I would like to give some of my personal observations and predictions.
(1) Groups standing for election: During an election, the traditional way is for a candidate to announce his platform if he has any. In any case, he will stand up and announce his candidacy and appeal to the voters to vote for him. He will spend some money and organize a party of friends to promote his campaign. These campaign assistants are mostly on a volunteer basis without any wages. Sometimes they may be treated to a restaurant etc. When the candidate wins his election, the campaign assistants will be dispersed and everything is quiet again. The successful candidate will then go about his business alone, attending meetings, giving speeches or performing ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
However, the trend now is for a candidate to stand for election with a group. The relationship between the candidate and his group of campaign assistants is not just established for the sake of the election. Usually, the candidate and the core elements in the group are well connected and they share the same ideology and political aims. Their common grounds may lie in their ideals and sense of value or mutual political benefits; nevertheless, these provide a very important basis for unity and motive in participating in the election. The campaign assistants feel a strong sense of involvement and that they are part and parcel of the campaign. When the candidate whom they support wins the election, the core elements will probably continue to co-operate with him, working together to achieve their ambitions.
(2) Forming allies. Allies also appear in this year's District Board elections. Each candidate may need certain support from other candidates, such as one nominating the other, exchange of information and techniques, minimizing the number of enemies, saving on resources, centralizing and strengthening publicity, and creating a force of their own against other candidates. Candidates may form allies in the same constituency, in the same district, between different districts, or territory-wide.
(3) Younger and better quality of candidates: I should say that in future the elected District Board members will, on the average, be younger and of higher quality (in terms of ability and education).
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(4) More from different social strata standing for election: There are now more from different social backgrounds standing for election, such as women, young people, left-wingers, workers, professionals and even students, whom we have rarely seen before.
These are all to the good. The forming of groups and allies will bring a clear strength and better planning to the District Boards in their direction, more work. The District Boards, with an increase in their elected membership, will be more representative by having more members of higher quality and from different social strata. The 19 future chairmen of the District Boards will become important leaders in the Hong Kong political scene.
In view of the above-mentioned trends, I propose that the following reforms should be effected in the District Boards:
(1) The District Board should expand its secretariat to keep minutes of meetings and deal with liaison and other work. In the beginning, the secretariat may be set up in CNTA's District Office, but eventually will be working to the independent District Board.
(2) The conference rooms for holding District Board meetings should be improved so that the proceedings may be conducted in a more efficient manner and more members of the public may attend the meetings as observers. At first, several District Boards may share a conference room, but eventually, each District should have a suitable and well-equipped venue for holding meetings.
(3) The Chairman of a District Board should be elected by over 50 per cent of all the votes. If no one secures such a majority in the first election, a run-off should be held between the 2 or 3 candidates who obtain the most votes until one emerges with the required majority.
(4) The District Board chairmen should receive an appropriate amount of remuneration as the Legislative Councillors, so that they can spare more time to attend to the Board's business.
(5) The Standing Orders of the District Boards should be amended to confer on the chairmen suitable authority and to ensure that the Boards will be run more efficiently.
(6) The consultative and supervisory functions of the District Boards should be further developed, and they should be accorded more access to relevant government papers and information.
I would also like to support views voiced by other members earlier on, that we should open more meetings to the general public. I am also supporting the view that Urban Council meetings should also be open to the public. We hope that Urban Council and the Regional Council should have a coordinating body, so that it will be able to monitor the work of the Secretary for Municipal Services. In order to show that I have high hopes for the district boards in the future, I would like to dedicate what I have said to the future district boards and I support the motion.