XN000022-1982-12-20 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1982

COMING U.C. ELECTIONS 'NEW AND DIFFERENT'

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THE URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS NEXT MARCH WOULD BE +NEW AND SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT+ AND PRODUCE A MORE COHESIVE AND INTEGRATED ADMINISTRATION FOR THE CITY, THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY.

THE ELECTIONS WOULD ALSO COMPLETE FOR THE TIME BEING THE REFORMS OF LOCAL ADMINISTRATION OUTLINED IN THE WHITE PAPER ON DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, HE ADDED.

IN A SPEECH TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF TSIM SHA TSUI EAST

MR AKERS-JONES OUTLINED SOME OF THE NEW ELEMENTS OF THE FORTHCOMING ELECTIONS WHICH INCLUDED:

* THE SIZE OF THE ELIGIBLE ELECTORATE HAS BEEN INCREASED

FOUR TIMES FROM 500 000 IN 1981 TO 2 000 000

* THE SIZE OF THE REGISTERED ELECTORATE AT THE CLOSE OF THE

LATE REGISTRATION PERIOD EARLIER THIS MONTH WAS 708 305 20 TIMES THAT OF THE ELECTORAL ROLL FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN RECENT YEARS;

* FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS WILL BE

HELD ON A CONSTITUENCY BASIS UNDER WHICH PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF HONG KONG WILL ELECT THEIR OWN LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES

*

*

*

THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF 15 SINGLE-MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES WITH AN AVERAGE POPULATION OF ROUGHLY 250 000 EACH,

THE NUMBER OF APPOINTED URBAN COUNCILLORS WILL BE CORRESPONDINGLY INCREASED BY THREE TO 15, BRINGING THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL TO 30 AND

THE COMPOSITION OF DISTRICT BOARDS IN URBAN AREAS WILL ALSO BE ENLARGED AFTER THE URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS WITH THE FIVE LARGER DISTRICTS HAVING TWO ELECTED AND TWO APPOINTED URBAN COUNCILLORS AND THE FIVE SMALLER DISTRICTS ONE EACH.

MR AKERS-JONES SAID THAT THIS ENLARGEMENT WOULD NOT ONLY STRENGTHEN THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS BUT WOULD +PRODUCE A MORE COHESIVE AND INTEGRATED ADMINISTRATION FOR OUR CITY WITH INVOLVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE AT ALL LEVELS, FROM THE STREETS OF KWUN TONG TO THE CITY HALL IN CENTRAL+.

+FROM THEN ON THE ELECTED URBAN COUNCILLORS RETURNED BY THE CONSTITUENCY-BASED ELECTIONS WILL BE DIRECTLY ANSWERABLE TO THE PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT AND CONVERSELY THE URBAN COUNCILLORS THEMSELVES WILL HAVE A MORE INTIMATE AND RESPONSIBLE RELATIONSHIP WITH A PARTICULAR DISTRICT AND CONSTITUENCY, HE SAID.

+AT THE CENTRE, THE URBAN COUNCIL ITSELF WILL BE KEPT IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE WISHES AND ASPIRATIONS OF EACH LOCALITY.

+THIS VILL