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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1988
"INDEED IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS OUR CRITICS WHO HAVE TRIED TO RELY ON ONE PARTICULAR SET OF SURVEYS TO PROVE THEIR POINT AND HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE THE OVERALL IMPLICATIONS OF THE VIEWS RECORDED IN THE SURVEY OFFICE REPORT, WHICH WERE CLEARLY THAT THE COMMUNITY IS DIVIDED ON THE QUESTION OF TIMING OF DIRECT ELECTIONS TO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL."
ON THE DECISION TO PROVIDE TWO ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY SEATS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN 1988 AFTER CONSIDERING SOME 50 REQUESTS, SIR DAVID GAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT ALL CLAIMS HAD BEEN GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION.
HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT SOME EXPLANATION ON THE POSITION OF HEUNG YER KUK WAS DUE, BECAUSE IT WAS THE BODY WHICH RECEIVED MOST SUPPORT FOR ITS RECOGNITION AS A FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY, BECAUSE THE QUESTION HAD BEEN RAISED AS TO THE IMPORTANCE WHICH GOVERNMENT ATTACHED TO THE ROLE OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK.
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IT WAS CONSIDERED INAPPROPRIATE TO FIT THE KUK INTO THE ROLE OF A FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCY BECAUSE THESE CONSTITUENCIES WERE DESIGNED TO REPRESENT PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS WITH A TERRITORY-WIDE SIGNIFICANCE, HE SAID.
THE DECISION SHOULD IN NO WAY BE INTERPRETED AS PLAYING DOWN THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS ROLE, SIR DAVID SAID.
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HE MENTIONED THAT IN HIS LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE KUK ON MARCH 11 HE HAD WRITTEN: 'THE GOVERNMENT FULLY RECOGNISES THE KUK'S OVERALL CONCERN IN NEW TERRITORIES AFFAIRS AND ITS IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE REPRESENTATION OF THE INTERESTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES INDIGENOUS POPULATION. IT IS. THEREFORE, THE GOVERNMENT'S FIRM INTENTION ΤΟ ENSURE THAT THESE INTERESTS WILL BE PROPERLY REPRESENTED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCH..'
REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, SIR DAVID SAID THAT PUBLIC RANGE OF RESULTS, WITH THE OVERALL THE URBAN COUNCIL TO INCLUDE
ON THE INTRODUCTION OF DISTRICT BOARDS TO THE URBAN OPINION SURVEYS SHOWED A WIDE PICTURE BEING IN FAVOUR OF EXPANDING DISTRICT BOARD REPRESENTATIVES.
HE NOTED THAT THE CHANGE ALSO MEANT THAT THE URBAN COUNCIL, WITH FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR LARGE AREAS OF PUBLIC POLICY, WOULD HAVE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, A MAJORITY OF ELECTED MEMBERS.
THE NEW ARRANGEMENT'S IN THE WHITE PAPER REPRESENTED A RATIONALISATION OF THE THREE-TIER STRUCTURE BY PROVIDING FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF DISTRICT BOARDS TO BE ELECTED ΤΟ THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS, AND FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MUNICIPAL COUNCILS TO BE ELECTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID.
THE ELECTED
THE PRESENT DISTRICT-BASED ELECTORAL COLLEGE SEATS IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD, IN 1991, BE REPLACED BY DIRECTLY SEATS.
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