THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1984.
10
PAY FULL-TIME LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS, RITA FAN SUGGESTS
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A CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER PAYING LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS TO WORK ON A FULL-TIME BASIS WAS MADE TODAY (THURSDAY)
THE HON RITA FAN SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THAT SHE FELT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER USING MORE PRACTICAL MEANS TO ATTRACT PEOPLE OF GOOD CALIBRE TO TAKE PART IN ELECTIONS.
+LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLORS MAY, FOR EXAMPLE, BE PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT TO WORK ON A FULL-TIME BASIS AND BE RESPONSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, SHE SAID.
+ IF, FOR EXAMPLE, A DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER IS ELECTED A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HIS ORIGINAL DUTIES WITH THE DISTRICT BOARD SHOULD BE TAKEN UP BY SOMEONE TO BE SELECTED IN A BY-ELECTION SO THAT HE MAY CONCENTRATE ON HIS WORK WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN SERVING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.+
IF THESE PROPOSALS WERE PUT INTO EFFECT, SHE ADDED, CAREFUL CONSIDERATION MUST BE GIVEN TO DETAILS OF ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE SALARIES OF COUNCILLORS MAY BECOME A SENSITIVE QUESTIÓN,
IF THE SALARY SCALE WAS FIXED AT TOO LOW A LEVEL, IT MIGHT NOT ATTRACT SUITABLE PERSONS.
IF IT WAS FIXED AT TOO HIGH A LEVEL, THERE WOULD BE A WASTE OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
AT ALL EVENTS, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD USE ALL KINDS OF METHO~~ TO IMPRESS KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSONS THAT IT WAS WORTHWHILE TO TAKE PART IN THE ELECTION WHEN DIRECT ELECTION BECAME ONE OF THE WAYS BY WHICH PEOPLE MIGHT SERVE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
+ THE DAYS AHEAD ARE FULL OF CHALLENGES AND WE WILL BE FACED WITH TRIALS UNKNOWN TO US BEFORE. SO WE MUST BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY PREPARED.
+WE SHOULD BROADEN OUR HORIZON ON THE POLITICAL FRONT, LEAR TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DIFFERENT POLITICAL PLATFORMS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, SHE SAID.
DURING THE COMING 12 YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS' INTERIM PERIOD, HONG KONG SHOULD TRY TO PROGRESS WITH CARE. SEEK TO MAINTAIN ITS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STABILITY, WORK FOR ITS ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND TRAIN UP THE NEXT GENERATION AS SUCCESSORS.
/+I THINK