ENCLOSURE 5 (Paragraph 10)
100
BROADCAST 28th AUGUST,
1946
The subject on which I am addressing you today is the proposed
revision of the Constitution of Hong Kong.
It is, as you know, the declared intention of His Majesty's
Government to carry out such a revision for the purpose of giving the
citizens of Hong Kong a fuller and more responsible share in the
management of their own affairs, and it was concerning this intention
and this purpose that I was authorized to make a public announcement
when I returned to Hong Kong in May last. I am going to quote to you
one paragraph from that announcement:
"Before a decision is taken on the methods of giving
effect to the intentions of His Majesty's Government, it is
considered essential that the important issues involved
should be thoroughly examined in Hong Kong itself, the fullest
account being taken of the views and wishes of the inhabitants."
The examination of these issues and the ascertainment of the views and
wishes of the inhabitants have by now reached a stage which enables me
to make to the public something in the nature of a progress report, and
it is for that purpose that I am speaking to you today.
The first step that I took was to invite public bodies and
associations, as well as individual members of the public, to express
their views on the general question of the revision of the constitution
and in particular to say whether they favoured the proposal that certain
administrative functions should be transferred from the Central
Government to a representative Municipal Council. They were asked, if
they did favour this proposal, to give their views in some detail on
various questions such as the manner in which the Council should be
formed, the qualifications of both Councillors and electors, the functions
which might appropriately be transferred by the Government to the Council,
and other important points.
Before I proceed to analyse or comment upon the replies which have
been received in response to this invitation, I wish to acknowledge with
great appreciation the amount of trouble that has been taken and the
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