UT
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 1985
+WHATEVER INSTANT COMMENTATORS MAY CLAIM, SOMETIMES WITH EVIDENTIAL SUPPORT. THE PRACTICE ALLOWS, INDEED REQUIRES FULL AND FRANK DISCUSSION OF THE MANY IMPORTANT MATTERS WHICH ARISE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SO THAT DECISIONS ARE REACHED ON THE BASIS OF A GENERAL CONSENSUS.
+THIS PRACTICE HAS EN ABLED HONG KONG TO ENJOY SUSTAINED PERIODS OF INTERNAL STABILITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. IT MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN, OR LIGHTLY THROWN ASIDE, THEREFORE, IN DEVELOPING PLANS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF MORE REPRESENTATIVE INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.
REFERRING TO A DIRECTLY ELECTED SYSTEM FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AS STRONGLY ADVOCATED BY A NUMBER OF GROUPS, SIR PHILIP SAID THERE COULD BE NO OBJECTION TO DIRECT ELECTIONS AS SUCH, MUCH LESS TO A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT LATER ON, SAY, IN 1988.
+BUT, AS EXPLAINED IN THE GREEN PAPER AND THIS WAS NOT WIDELY DI SPUTED, DIRECT ELECTIONS WOULD RUN THE RISK OF A JERKY SHIFT TO ADVERSARİ AL POLITICS, INTRODUCING AN ELEMENT OF INSTABILITY AT A CRUCI AL TIME, HE SAID.
+HONG KONG HAS HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF INDIRECT, LET ALONE DIRECT, ELECTIONS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND DIRECT ELECTIONS AT REGIONAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL ARE A RELATIVELY NEW FEATURE OF OUR POLITICAL LIFE.
*THE GOVERNMENT HAS, THEREFORE, TAKEN THE VIEW THAT, GIVEN THE SHORT TIME AVAILABLE AND THE FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING MISTAKES, THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHICH WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO UNWIND, THE APPROACH ADOPTED IN THE WHITE PAPER IS THE ONE MOST LIKELY TO SECURE THE IMMEDIATE AND LONGER TERM OBJECTIVES,+ HE SAID.
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ON ELECTION OF MEMBERS FROM FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, SIR PHILIP STRESSED TWO POINTS.
+ THE FIRST IS THAT THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY CONCEPT IS PURELY A MECHANISM FOR IDENTIFYING CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHO ARE COMPETENT TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF A PARTICULAR CONSTITUENCY BY VIRTUE OF THEIR PERSON AL EXPERIENCE AND INVOLVEMENT IN THE FUNCTIONAL ARE A CONCERNED, HE SAID.
+ THE SECOND IS THAT THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF A PARTICULAR CONSTITUENCY IS, OF COURSE, TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
/+THE UNDERLYING