XN000022-1990-05-16 — Page 8

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 1990

CALL TO ACKNOWLEDGE CHANGING TIMES

*

THE HON DAVID LI CONCURRED WITH THE VIEWS OF MEMBERS OF THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP THAT STUDIED THE LAW REFORM (LEGAL EFFECTS OF AGE) BILL 1999 THAT THE CHANGING TIMES IN HONG KONG SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY FORMALLY REDUCING THE AGE OF MAJORITY FROM 21 TO 18 YEARS.

"IN SO DOING, WE WOULD BE CORRECTING AN ANOMALY OF THE LAW THAT IS NEITHER REASONABLE NOR REALISTIC IN THIS DAY AND AGE," HE SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

NOTING THAT IN 1983 HE CHAIRED THE LAW REFORM COMMISSION SUB-COMMITTEE CONVENED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES SURROUNDING A REDUCTION IN THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN HONG KONG, MR LI SAID THE BILL FOLLOWED LARGELY THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION AND WAS, IN THE MAIN, UNCONTROVERSIAL.

STRANGE THAT

NEVERTHELESS, HE SAID, IT WAS MORE THAN A LITTLE IF THE BILL BECAME LAW, A PERSON OF 18 YEARS COULD BECOME A DIRECTOR OF A PUBLIC COMPANY, THEREBY INFLUENCING THE LIFESTYLES OF THOUSANDS, YET COULD NOT MARRY OF HIS OWN ACCORD.

LOWERING THE AGE OF MAJORITY OPPOSED

THE HON NELLIE FONG

A

IN CHANGE

AND

SAID IN THE AGE

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

BE ONLY SHOULD OF MAJORITY

THE GENERAL MATURITY OF BE GIVEN MUCH HEAVIER

TODAY

(WEDNESDAY) CONTEMPLATED WHEN THE GOVERNMENT FELT THAT

THAT THEY COULD THE PUBLIC HAD RISEN RESPONSIBILITIES AT AN EARLIER AGE.

THE FIXING OF A LEGAL AGE OF MAJORITY WAS BOTH SENSITIVE, SHE SAID.

THE RESUMED

SUBJECTIVE AND

DEBATE ON THE LAW REFORM (LEGAL SPEAKING IN

THE EFFECTS OF AGE) BILL 1989, MRS FONG OPPOSED THE RECOMMENDATION OF

SHE FOUND LAW REFORM COMMISSION TO LOWER THE AGE OF MAJORITY BECAUSE

WITH OTHER COUNTRIES WAS VERY THE ARGUMENT OF MAKING A COMPARISON WEAK.

SEGMENTS OF THOSE SEGMENTS

SHE ALSO FOUND THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY OF VARIOUS THAT THE

OF SENTIMENTS OPINION REVEALED PUBLIC WERE COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF THE RECOMMENDATION.

THE SURVEY ATTRACTED 1,500

ORGANISATIONS, AND

FROM A

WERE

WIDE VARIETY OF

IN

10

REPLIES

BACKGROUNDS

OVERWHELMINGLY AND THESE FAVOUR OF RETAINING THE AGE OF MAJORITY AT 21 IN EIGHT OUT OF THE SCENERIOS PRESENTED, SHE SAID.

/THE EXCEPTIONS