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obstinate implementation, listing out the pros and cons and stressing that division of administration would inevitably bring about inconsistent policies and adverse consequences. We were fully aware of the consequences then but the central government was having a special kind of democracy, in that they accepted only those views that were in line with theirs and rejected those that were not. In the end, willfully and stubbornly the central government set up the Regional Council.
Anyhow, the Regional Council was set up then. The advantages and disadvantages of such a move have been a common topic for discussion. The question to be considered is whether the two municipal councils should be merged to restore the set-up to the one before 1986, under which the central functions are taken up by one municipal council while local affairs are delegated to a number of larger boards (that is, formed by merging a few District Boards), which are to handle local problems.
I think I might examine in greater detail the last proposition, exploring its feasibility. There might be some aspects which are acceptable. Nevertheless, no matter what the findings will be, I consider that the review must be carried out under the following premises:
The first point is that the living standard of the people must not be affected by the review of reorganization. The second point is that there must be appropriate arrangements whereby civil servants are suitably deployed to carry out the consultation and the administrative work of formulating policies. The third point is that appropriate arrangements and ample time should be made and allowed for members who are planning to take part in the 1999 election so that they could make full preparation for it. The fourth point, which is my last request, is that under the premise of having a review, gradual development of a democratic government must be ensured. Thank you.
MR. KAM NAI-WAI (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, a Member has just mentioned that since the Chief Executive announced a review of district organizations, there has been continuous press coverage. There have been different sources of news and views have been expressed by certain officials in private. Although there is no way for us to verify the authenticity of the contents of these conversations, we could not help suspecting that there is already a pre-determined stance before the review is carried out, and that the review this time is probably only a cosmetic one.
As the Chairman just mentioned, in all those so-called constitutional reviews, such as the review which resulted in one municipal council turning into two and the issue of direct election in the 1988 Legislative Council Election, the Government actually had a foregone conclusion. Consultation is only a trick to fool the people.
The Democratic Party has been very worried lest the real intention behind the Government's review of district organizations is to recover the