THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1985 ́
-14
EXPANDED LEGCO CALLED FOR
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DR THE HON HENRIETTA IP TODAY CALLED FOR AN EXPANDED LEGISLATURE WITH MORE MEMBERS FROM DISTRICT BOARDS AND MORE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES.
SPEAKING ON THE WHITE PAPER, DR IP SAID THAT HONG KONG SHOULD NOT HAVE A COMPLICATED ELECTION SYSTEM.
SHE SAID: + THE NUMBER OF LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD EXPAND TO BETWEEN 60 TO 70 MEMBERS (I BELIEVE THE NEW CHAMBERS AT THE OLD SUPREME COURT SITE CAN SEAT THIS NUMBER).
+THIS IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INCREASING REPRESENTATION FROM THE DISTRICT BOARDS, URBAN COUNCIL, REGIONAL COUNCIL AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES.
+THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DISTRICT BOARDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT AS THEY SERVE AS A LINK WITH THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL.
+THEIR NUMBER SHOULD BE DOUBLED TO 24 AND THE DELINEATION OF THE DISTRICTS SHOULD BE SUCH THAT IN EFFECT THERE WOULD BE A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBER FROM EACH DISTRICT REPRESENTING A POPULATION OF AROUND 250 000.
+THIS IS BECAUSE IN THE LONG RUN, IT IS NOT IDEAL TO EXPECT ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM MORE THAN ONE DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH OTHER DISTRICTS.
+ THE ELECTED DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER WITH THE HIGHEST VOTE FROM HIS DISTRICT BECOMES AUTOMATICALLY THE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, UNLESS BY DISSENT OR DEFAULT, IN WHICH CASE THE NEXT IN LINE WOULD TAKE HIS PLACE.
+THIS WOULD INTRODUCE AN ELEMENT OF DIRECT ELECTION WITHIN OUR EXISTING FRAMEWORK AND WOULD OFFSET THE NEED FOR A BY-ELECTION IF A SEAT FALLS VACANT, AND YET ENSURE A LINK WITH ALL DISTRICTS AT ANY TIME.
+A DISTRICT CAN FORESEEABLY HAVE A POPULATION OF HALF
A MILLION IF SO IT SHOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO HAVE TWO REPRESENTATIVES. +
+THE URBAN COUNCIL AND REGIONAL COUNCIL SHOULD LIKEWISE HAVE DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF SEATS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE DIRECT METHOD MAKING THOSE WITH THE MOST DIRECT VOTES FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AUTOMATICALLY A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD ALSO BE ADOPTED.+
THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, DR IP ALSO SAID, WERE VERY IMPORTANT AS THEY WOULD ENSURE REPRESENTATION AND INPUT FROM A SPECTRUM OF PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE ALL VITALLY NECESSARY FOR THE RUNNING OF HONG KONG.
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