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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1988
"AT THE SECOND STAGE THERE CAN BE DIRECT NOMINATIONS FROM THE DISTRICTS TO ENSURE THAT ANYONE WHO INTENDS TO STAND FOR ELECTION WILL HAVE A FAIR CHANCE OF DOING SO, HE SAID.
MR HU SAID HE BELIEVED THAT THE EXISTING ELECTORAL COLLEGE SYSTEM SHOULD BE ABOLISHED EVENTUALLY.
BY
THE REPLACEMENT OF 10 ELECTORAL COLLEGE SEATS GEOGRAPHICALLY BASED DIRECTLY ELECTED SEATS IN 1991 WAS ONLY THE FIRST STEP, AND IT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY THE ABOLITION OF THE TWO SEATS ALLOCATED TO THE URBAN AND REGIONAL COUNCILS.
HE ALSO SAW A NEED IN THE FUTURE FOR SYSTEM TO BE MERGED INTO A TWO-TIER ONE LEVELS WITH CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES.
THE EXISTING THREE-TIER AT CENTRAL AND DISTRICT
A
"HONG KONG IS TOO SMALL A PLACE TO ALLOW TOO COMPLICATED SYSTEM TO OPERATE. A CUMBERSOME STRUCTURE WILL ONLY REDUCE EFFICIENCY AND RESULT IN WASTE OF RESOURCES, HE SAID.
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BEFORE 1997, HOWEVER, THE EXISTING SYSTEM SHOULD BE RETAINED TO AVIOD DESTABILISING THE PRESENT SYSTEM UNNECESSARILY IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD, HE ADDED.
HR HU ALSO URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO WORK OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS IN 1991, SUCH AS FURTHER DEFINING FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND REDRAWING CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY BASED DIRECT ELECTIONS.
SUPPORTING THE ARGUMENT THAT IT WAS UNDESIRABLE ΤΟ HAVE TWO PARALLEL SYSTEMS OF GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OPERATING DIRECTLY AND THROUGH DISTRICT BOARDS, MR HU SAID THAT THE CROSS MEMBERSHIP ARRANGEMENT SHOULD NOT BE APPLIED TO THE URBAN COUNCIL DISTRICT BOARD RELATIONSHIP EITHER.
HOWEVER, HE ACCEPTED THAT THE ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS SHOULD REMAIN INTACT FOR THE TIME BEING, WHILE THE GOVERNMENT EXPLORED WAYS ΤΟ STRENGTHEN THE LINKS BETWEEN THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE URBAN COUNCIL.
HE ADDED THAT, IN THE LONG RUN, ALL COUNCIL AND BOARD MEMBERS SHOULD BE ELECTED, BE IT THROUGH DIRECT ELECTIONS OR INDIRECT ELECTIONS.
MR HU SAID HE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THE WHITE PAPER HAD NOT GONE FURTHER INTO THE PROPOSED BROADLY-BASED ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
HE SAID HONG KONG NEEDED A LEGISLATURE WHICH HAD A BALANCED VIEW AND REPRESENTED THE INTERESTS OF ALL. SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY. BUT THIS COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED IF THE FUTURE LEGISLATURE ONLY COMPRISED MEMBERS DIRECTLY ELECTED OR ELECTED THROUGH THE FUNCTIONAL
CONSTITUENCIES.
/"THE PROPOSED