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THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1990
"AT THE SAME TIME, ALL OUT PROPORTIONALITY MUST NOT BE PURSUED AT THE EXPENSE OF POLITICAL COHESION," HE ADDED.
"THE REPRESENTATION OF TOO MANY DIVERSE INTERESTS CAN ONLY RESULT IN PREVARICATION, INDECISION AND SOMETIMES PURE ANTAGONISM. A CLEAR MAJORITY WORKS WONDERS TO GET LEGISLATION THROUGH.
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NOTING THAT STRONG LINKS BETWEEN ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS MUST BE FORGED, MR WONG SAID HONG KONG PEOPLE MUST HAVE A CHANNEL THROUGH WHICH THEY COULD EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS TO GOVERNMENT.
"YET IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT THAT THIS COUNCIL SHOULD NOT BECOME A MERE STAGE FOR LOCAL POLITICS.
"CONCERN WITH LOCAL ISSUES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO THE DEBATE ON ISSUES THAT CONCERN THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG,
CROWD OUT ** HE SAID.
"THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM WE ADOPT MUST BE FAIR AND IMPARTIAL. THE EQUALITY OF POPULATION BETWEEN CONSTITUENCIES IS PARAMOUNT, AND THE CURRENT GROSS IMBALANCE OF THE NUMBER OF VOTERS BETWEEN DISTRICT BOARD CONSTITUENCIES CANNOT BE CONTINUED MR WONG SAID.
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HE SAID THERE WERE THREE MORE ISSUES WITH WHICH WE SHOULD CONCERN OURSELVES.
"FIRSTLY, WE SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE VITAL ROLE PLAYED BY POLITICAL PARTIES IN A MODERN DEMOCRACY IN ARTICULATING POLICIES AND PROVIDING REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE PEOPLE.
"THE SYSTEM WHICH WE CHOOSE SHOULD ENSURE THAT THOSE PARTIES WHICH ARE FORMED ARE STRONG AND COHESIVE, AND NOT WEAK AND FRAGMENTED.
"IN THIS CONNECTION, WE SHOULD BE EXAMINING THE SORT OF LEGISLATION THAT WILL GOVERN THE FORMATION AND RUNNING OF POLITICAL PARTIES; HOW THEY CAN SOLICIT FUNDS AND RUN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS, HE SAID.
"SECONDLY, WE MUST ENSURE THAT THIS COUNCIL REMAINS EFFECTIVE IN ITS TASK OF SCRUTINISING THE ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT AND IN THE FUTURE, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. ITS MEMBERS MUST BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING LEADERSHIP FOR HONG KONG THROUGHOUT THE TESTING TIMES AHEAD.
"FINALLY, IT IS VITAL THAT WE ADOPT A SYSTEM THAT IS FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE.
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MR WONG ADDED: "LET US TAKE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY ΤΟ BUILD UP A SYSTEM THAT WILL TRULY ENABLE HONG KONG PEOPLE TO RULE HONG KONG AND CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE TO EVERYONE THAT WE CAN INDEED DEMOCRATIC SPIRIT. ONLY THUS, CAN WE CONVINCE EVERYONE FIT AND PROPER TO RULE OURSELVES."
DO SO IN A THAT WE ARE
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