XN000022-1992-07-16 — Page 2

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THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1992

SCA'S SPEECH IN FIRST PART OF MOTION DEBATE ON ELECTORAL REVIEW

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THE FOLLOWING IS THE

FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS,

FULL TEXT OF THE SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY MR MICHAEL SZE, IN THE FIRST PART OF THE MOTION DEBATE ON THE SELECT COMMITTEE'S REPORT ON ELECTORAL REVIEW, AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY):

MR DEPUTY PRESIDENT,

I, TOO, WOULD WISH MR VICENT CHENG A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. WITHOUT IRONY, NOR PUNT INTENDED, I ALSO WISH HIM MANY HAPPY RETURNS. I CAN SYMPATHISE WITH HIM FOR I, TOO, HAVE JUST SPENT MY 20TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY IN THIS CHAMBER, BEFORE I COME TO MY SPEECH, I WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER ONE POINT RAISED BY MR WONG WAI-YIN AS TO HIS LUCK LETTER TO ME. I HAVE TO CONFIRM THAT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT AND INDEED HAD I RECEIVED IT I WOULD HAVE FOUND THE QUESTION DIFFICULT TO ANSWER AS IT IS SO MUCH HYPOTHETICAL IN NATURE.

WHEN I INFORMED THIS COUNCIL LAST NOVEMBER THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAD COMMENCED A REVIEW OF THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN THE LIGHT OF OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE 1991 ELECTIONS, I SAID THAT WE LOOKED FORWARD TO WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE SELECT COMMITTEE WITH A VIEW TO SEEKING THE BEST ANSWERS THAT WOULD MEET THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY. IN THE EVENT, WE HAVE HAD A SERIES OF USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE EXCHANGES WITH THE SELECT COMMITTEE DURING THE PAST SIX MONTHS. ALTHOUGH WE PRESENTED 15 PAPERS TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON VARIOUS ISSUES INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION, SYSTEM OF VOTING, DEMARCATION OF CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES, VOTER REGISTRATION, AND SO ON, THE ADMINISTRATION'S PRESENTATIONS TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE WERE TO SERVE TWO PURPOSES : FIRST, TO SHARE WITH THE SELECT COMMITTEE THAT THE SELECT COMMITTEE WOULD BENEFIT OF OUR RESEARCH INTO THE WHOLE RANGE OF ELECTORAL ISSUES UNDER REVIEW AND, SECONDLY, TO STIMULATE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THESE ISSUES. IN THIS LATTER AIM, THE SELECT COMMITTEE'S OPEN SESSIONS PROVIDED A USEFUL FORUM. JUDGING FROM THE INTENSE INTEREST ON THE SUBJECTS WHICH BOTH THE MEDIA AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC HAVE SHOWN OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, IT WOULD SEEM THAT THESE TWO PURPOSES HAVE BOTH BEEN SUCCESSFULLY MET.

SO, ON BEHALF OF THE ADMINISTRATION, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL MEMBERS OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE FOR THE TIME AND EFFORT THEY HAVE DEVOTED TO THIS IMPORTANT AND WORTHWHILE TASK. IT IS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT THAT THE SELECT COMMITTEE HAS BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION OF THE MANY ISSUES INVOLVED WITHIN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME. AND TO COME UP WITH A WHOLE RANGE OF DETAILED RECOMMENDATIONS,

/I AM