XN000022-1985-03-13 — Page 9

8

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1985

on the

the

principles

held with

now

the

are

As I mentioned in a reply to a question by Mr CHAN Ying-lun in this Council on 6 February, consultations have been held with the representative organisations making up

various

constituencies functional

in this embodied

Bill. Meetings have been principal officers of each of these organisations, and careful It and detailed consideration has been given to their views. has been possible to meet some of these views, but not all of them. However, as was stated in the White Paper, a review of

will be conducted in 1987 to the arrangements

to identify any desirable improvements in present arrangements; and, of course, to decide whether any further constitutional changes indicated at that time to be effective from the 1988-89 session or later. I have no doubt that any improvements which may be identified ad interim will be fully considered in the course of review and that ideas as to further constitutional developments will be floated and debated in readiness for the review. Meanwhile, Sir, may I suggest that we should all concentrate on the immensely important task of assembling the

for Legislative Council

the next three style

years, 1985-88, and here time is of the essence if we

of the essence if we are to complete all the necessary practical arrangements in time for the 1985 elections to be held in September of this year.

that

new

Sir, this Bill, which implements the plans in the White Paper, represents an extremely significant development in the constitutional history of Hong Kong. For the first time, elections are to be held for seats in the Legislative Council. We are experimenting with a unique mix of systems designed to assemble a Legislative Council consisting of (1) what one might

describe

populist elected members, (2) representatives elected by interest groups, (3) appointed members carefully selected on the basis of their track record in public life and their invaluable experience of government and to cover elements

AS

E

in

Our

which society

may

not otherwise

be

satisfactorily

/catered for