FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1985
+ THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS THAT THERE SHOULD BE A BALANCED REPRESENTATION ON EACH BOARD, THAT IS, IT SHOULD CONSIST OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THE DISTRICT AND WHO ARE PREPARED TO WORK UNSELFISHLY FOR THE LOCAL RESIDENTS, HE SAID.
FOR THIS PURPOSE, HE SAID, BALANCE DID NOT MEAN PERFECT SYMMETRY OR NUMERICAL EQUALITY.
→BALANCE CAN ONLY MEAN A BALANCE OF ALL THE RELEVANT FACTORS SUCH AS OCCUPATION, AGE, SEX, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND, KNOWLEDGE OF THE DISTRICT, EXPERIENCE, PAST COMMUNITY SERVICE, EXTENT OF CONTACTS WITH LOCAL PEOPLE, AND ALL THOSE PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES THAT CANNOT BE QUANTIFIED. +
WHILE MEMBERS SHOULD COME FROM AS WIDE A RANGE OF SOCIAL SECTORS AS POSSIBLE, IT WAS OFTEN NOT POSSIBLE, TO HAVE AN EQUAL OR SIMILAR NUMBER OF MEMBERS FROM ALL OCCUPATIONS OR PROFESSIONS.
NOR SHOULD IT BE UNEXPECTED, HE SAID, THAT THE BUSINESS SECTOR HAD PRODUCED THE MOST MEMBERS, BOTH IN THE ELECTED AND APPOINTED MEMBERSHIP, GIVEN THE INDISPUTABLE IMPORTANCE OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG.
MR LIAO STRESSED THAT THERE COULD NOT BE ANY RIGID CRITERION IN THE NOMINATION OF APPOINTED MEMBERS AS HEED MUST BE GIVEN TO THE PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES AND NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS.
JUDGING FROM THE MORE EVEN SPREAD OF OCCUPATION AMONG THE ELECTED MEMBERS, HE SAID, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE WORK OF THE BOARDS DURING THE PAST YEARS HAD ATTRACTED CAPABLE PEOPLE FROM A WIDER SOCIAL SPECTRUM.
HE HOPED THAT THOSE WHO HAD BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN THE ELECTIONS EARLIER THIS MONTH WOULD NOT LOSE HEART, BUT CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE THE IR SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY.
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