XN000022-1985-01-10 — Page 17

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 1985

REFERRING TO CONCERN THAT SOME SECTORS WERE LEFT OUT IN THE PROPOSALS CONTAINED IN THE WHITE PAPER, MR CHAN SAID THAT THIS WOULD IN NO WAY UNDERMINE THE REPRESENTATIVE NATURE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

+WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT WE SHOULD ASK THESE REPRESENTATIVES, WHEN DECIDING POLICIES AFFECTING THE GENERAL PUBLIC, TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE OVERALL INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG INSTEAD OF JUST THE INTERESTS OF THE VOTERS AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES THEY REPRESENT, AS THIS PHENOMENON WILL LEAD TO SOCIAL DISINTEGRATION AND IMBALANCE.

+THEREFORE I THINK THE SO-CALLED REPRESENTATIVENESS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SHOULD BE TAKEN TO MEAN THAT THE VARIOUS REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD DISCUSS JOINTLY THE SOCIAL ISSUES FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES AND FROM THEIR OWN RESPECTIVE POSITIONS WHEN DECIDING ON MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST, HE SAID.

AS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IN FUTURE, ESPECIALLY REGARDING DIRECT ELECTION, MR CHAN SAID HIS EXPERIENCE WITH DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS SHOWED THAT ELECTION WAS AN IDEAL POLITICAL SYSTEM.

HE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG.

HOWEVER, HE SAID, UNDER THE PRESENT POLITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES, DIRECT ELECTIONS MUST NOT TAKE PLACE IN A HURRY.

ON THE TRANSFER OF POWER, MR CHAN WARNED THAT GOOD TIMING WAS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.

+A TOTAL TRANSFER OF POWER BEFORE THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IS WELL DEVELOPED MAY RESULT IN AN UNMANAGEABLE SITUATION, HE SAID.

+ THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IS THE LOCOMOTIVE WHICH BRINGS ALONG THE TRANSFER OF POWER, SO THAT THE TWO MUST BE LINKED TOGETHER AND ARE INSEPARABLE.

+ACCORDING TO THIS PACE, THE REFORM OF THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG WILL PROCEED UPWARDS PROGRESSIVELY, STARTING WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION UP TO THE REFORM IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, + HE SAID.

HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF THE TIME FACTOR, HE WAS OF THE VIEW THAT EMPHASIS SHOULD NOW BE PLACED NOT ONLY ON THE REFORM WORKING UPWARDS BUT ALSO IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION AS WELL, THAT IS, TO START WITH THE REFORM OF THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT'S INTERNAL POLICY-MAKING MACHINERY.

MR CHAN SAID THAT IF THE MINISTERIAL SYSTEM WAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED, IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

/+AS THE