XN000022-1984-06-27 — Page 30

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 1984

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MR AKERS-JONES NOTED THAT THOUGH THE BOARDS WERE SET UP ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO WITH APPOINTED MEMBERS AND A GENERAL ADVISORY ROLE, THE IR WORK HAD SINCE BECOME MORE SPECIFIC, MORE RESPONSIBLE, AND THEY HAD BECOME MORE REPRESENTATIVE.

NEXT YEAR THE GOVERNMENT UMBRELLA WILL BE REMOVED.

+ IN APRIL 1985, THEY WILL ELECT THEIR OWN CHAIRMAN, REPLACING THE DISTRICT OFFICER, AND IT IS PROPOSED THAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WILL NO LONGER BE MEMBERS OF THE BOARDS, HE SAID.

THE NUMBER OF ELECTED SEATS WILL ALSO BE VIRTUALLY DOUBLED, SO THAT NEXT YEAR THE TOTAL NUMBER OF URBAN COUNCIL, REGIONAL COUNCIL AND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE 413, OF WHICH 236 WILL HAVE BEEN ELECTED ON A POPULAR FRANCHISE.

+CLEARLY THE MORE PEOPLE WHO REGISTER AND VOTE IN THE ELECTIONS, THE STRONGER THE POSITION OF THE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE IF THEY CAN CLAIM A BROAD BASIS OF POPULAR SUPPORT,+ HE SAID.

MR AKERS-JONES SAID THAT THERE WERE SOME WHO ADVOCATED INSTANT DEMOCRACY AS THOUGH IT WAS AS EASY AS TAKING A POLAROID PHOTOGRAPH.

+MY OWN PREFERENCE IS TO DEVELOP THE PICTURE MORE COMPLETELY, GETTING THE PERSPECTIVE AND EMPHASIS RIGHT, HE SAID.

+THUS OUR POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS ARE BEING DEVELOPED PROGRESSIVELY AND, WHO CAN SAY TODAY WITH PRECISION, WHAT ROLE THE DISTRICT BOARDS WILL PLAY IN THE YEARS AHEAD AS THE EVOLUTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF OUR CITY TAKES PLACE AND AS WE FACE THE TASKS WHICH LIE AHEAD.

CERTAINLY, HE ADDED, WE MUST MOBILISE OUR RESOURCES TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE AS WE HAVE MET MANY OTHER CHALLENGES IN THE PAST.

+WE NEED BOTH THE COLLECTIVE STRENGTH OF OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WISDOM AND SKILL OF OUR BUSINESSMEN AND INDUSTRIALISTS, OUR EXECUTIVES AND ADMINISTRATORS AND OUR PROFESSIONAL MEN AND TECHNOCRATS TO HELP TO SHAPE OUR DESTINY, MR AKERS-JONES SAID.

ELECTIONS, HE SAID, ARE A PART OF THIS PROCESS TO SELECT THOSE WHO WILL REPRESENT AND SPEAK FOR THE COLLECTIVE STRENGTH OF THE COMMUNITY ON THE DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE YEARS BETWEEN ELECTIONS.

DISTRICT BOARDS HAD BECOME AN IMPORTANT STRAND IN THE POLITICAL FABRIC OF HONG KONG, EXCEEDING THE PREDICTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS HELD AT THE TIME OF THEIR INCEPTION.

THEY HAD BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF A DEVELOPING STRUCTURE OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, BUILDING UPWARDS FROM A DISTRICT BASE.

+THUS, IN THE NEW TERRITORIES THE BOARDS ARE TO BE ORGANICALLY LINKED WITH THE REGIONAL COUNCIL, JUST AS IN THE URBAN AREA, THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS ARE CONNECTED, ALTHOUGH IN A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT WAY, HE SAID.

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