XN000022-1984-08-17 — Page 6

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984

MR AKERS-JONES SAID THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH REGARD TO THE REPLACING OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS REPRESENTING VARIOUS IMPORTANT SECTORS OF SOCIETY WITH MEMBERS ELECTED BY THOSE GROUPS THEMSELVES THE SO-CALLED FUNCTIONAL GROUPS.

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*WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH GROUPS SHOULD BE REPRESENTED IN THIS WAY; HOW MANY REPRESENTATIVES THERE SHOULD BE; WE HAVE TO DEFINE THE BOUNDARIES OF EACH PARTICULAR GROUP; AND DECIDE HOW TO CONDUCT THE ELECTIONS. BUT THESE ARE PROBLEMS WHICH CAN BE RESOLVED.

+ INDEED THE PROPOSALS HAVE ALREADY LED SOME GROUPS TO BEGIN TO THINK MORE POSITIVELY ABOUT THE ROLE THEY HAVE TO PLAY IN THE AFFAIRS OF HONG KONG IN THE YEARS AHEAD. THIS AWAKENING SENSE OF POLITICAL AWARENESS CAN ONLY BE GOOD FOR HONG KONG.

+AT THE END OF THE DAY HONG KONG HAS NO RESOURCES BUT ITS PEOPLE AND THE MOBILISATION OF THOSE RESOURCES, THE IR UNIFICATION, THE SEARCH FOR A COMMON GOAL AND THE COMMON GOOD, AND THE ORGANISATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS NEEDED TO DEVELOP OUR PARTICULAR AND PECULIAR GENIUS, 1 SUBMIT, NEED NOT BE, PROBABLY IN THE ORDER OF THINGS SHOULD NOT BE, THE SAME AS THOSE DEVISED AND EXPERI- MENTED WITH, OFTEN WITHOUT SUCCESS, IN PLACES WHERE THERE WERE RESOURCES OF GREAT NATURAL WEALTH TO BE DISPOSED AND DISTRIBUTED.

+WE SHOULD NOT HESITATE, THEREFORE, TO INVENT AND EVOLVE OUR OWN SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT HERE IN HONG KONG, WITH ITS OWN DISTINCTIVE FEATURES, FOR OUR SITUATION IS UNIQUE.

+LET US LOOK, NOT BE AFRAID OF SOLUTIONS AND NOT NECESSARILY COPY THE SYSTEMS, AND, IN SOME CASES, THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE TEXT BOOK PATTERNS.

+OUR OBJECTIVE IS CLEAR; TO MAINTAIN THOSE CONDITIONS OF STABILITY WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO INCREASE OUR PROSPERITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL OUR PEOPLE AND TO BRING INTO BEING A RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT WHICH IS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.

NEW CHAIRMAN FOR BOARD OF EDUCATION ****

THE HON PETER C. WONG, AN UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HAS BEEN APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR A TERM OF ONE YEAR, EFFECTIVE FROM JULY 1, 1984.

MR WONG IS A MEMBER OF A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT BOARDS AND COMMITTEES, INCLUDING THE EDUCATION COMMISSION, THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE, THE TEXTILE ADVISORY BOARD AND THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE. HE IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND OF THE COUNCIL OF THE HONG KONG ACADEMY FOR PERFORMING ARTS.

/THRINE NEW