XN000022-1983-08-26 — Page 2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1983

EXCO AND LEGCO APPOINTMENTS

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THE ACTING GOVERNOR SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, TODAY ANNOUNCED THREE NEW APPOINTMENTS TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND FIVE NEW APPOINTMENTS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THE APPOINTMENTS FOLLOW RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE MADE BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE.

LEAVING THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IS DR HARRY FANG SIN-YANG, WHO COMPLETES FIVE YEARS' SERVICE ON THE COUNCIL. DR FANG, ONE OF HONG KONG'S LEADING SURGEONS AND CHAIRMAN OF THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, REMAINS THE SECOND RANKING UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN PAID TRIBUTE TO DR FANG FOR HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORK OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, NOTING IN PARTICULAR HIS INTEREST AND CONCERN IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

RETURNING TO THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AFTER AN ABSENCE OF FIVE YEARS, IS MR LEE QUO-WEI. MR LEE, A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BETWEEN 1968 AND 1978, AND OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL BETWEEN 1972 AND 1978, IS A WELL KNOWN, SENIOR PUBLIC FIGURE IN HONG KONG. MR LEE, A BANKER, WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR SEVEN YEARS AND IS CURRENTLY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.

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TWO SERVING MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAVE ALSO BEEN APPOINTED TO EXCO. MR CHEN SHOU-LUM, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY, WAS APPOINTED TO LEGCO IN 1976. HE IS CURRENTLY CHAIRMAN OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE, AND DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC COUNCIL. MISS MARIA TAM WAI-CHU IS AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THE URBAN COUNCIL. A BARRISTER BY PROFESSION, MISS TAM HAS BEEN A LEGCO MEMBER SINCE 1981. SHE IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

THE NEW APPOINTMENTS RAISE THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, EXCLUDING THE GOVERNOR, TO SEVENTEEN, OF WHICH ELEVEN MEMBERS ARE UNOFFICIALS. A FURTHER CHANGE ANNOUNCED TODAY IS THAT THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS WILL CEASE TO BE AN EX-OFFICIO MEMBER, ALTHOUGH MR D.C. BRAY IS TO CONTINUE TO SERVE ON THE COUNCIL IN HIS PERSONAL CAPACITY, THERE WILL NOW BE TWO NOMINATED OFFICIAL MEMBERS ON EXCO, MR BRAY AND MR D. AKERS-JONES.

COMMENTING ON THESE CHANGES THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, AND THE BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE OF THE THREE NEW MEMBERS, WOULD STRENGTHEN THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND EXTEND THE GOVERNOR'S ACCESS TO ADVICE ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING HONG KONG.

THE FIVE NEW APPOINTMENTS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OFFSET THE RETIREMENT OF THE REV JOYCE BENNETT (WHO LEAVES HONG KONG THIS SUMMER), DR HENRY HU HUNG-LICK AND DR RAYSON HUANG. DR HU HAS BEEN A LEGCO MEMBER SINCE 1976, AND DR HUANG SINCE 1977, AND ARE AMONG THE LONGER SERVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

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