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To promote district administration, Mr. Andrew Wong suggested that ctional bodies, which would be independent in finance and decision-making, should be set up at district level.
In another seminar organised by The Seventies on June 13, a representative of the Hong Kong Observers wondered whether district boards would be given enough powers to have any impact on Government and district policies. Another panelist urged the Government to clarify the differences in powers between the district boards in the New Territories and in urban areas.
A former chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk, Mr. Chan Yat-sun, believed that the district boards would not reduce the powers of the Kuk because the boards would be responsible for district administration while the Kuk's role was in up- holding the rights of land owners in the New Territories.
An editor of the Seventies believed that the district management committees and district boards would be under tight Government control and would have no real power. Therefore it would not be able to act an effective check on the Government.
Asked whether they were satisfied with the Green Paper proposals, the panelists expressed different views. Mr. Andrew Wong would like to see several propularly elected councils set up on a district basis. These should be put in charge of district management, with powers much wider than the present Urban Council. Mr. Wong would not want to. see the emergence of a district body which would have powers similar to those of the central Government. Reforms such as an elected Legislative Council would not be appropriate, he said.
Urban Councillor Miss Maria Tam would not want to see the Urban Council cut up into district councils. She would like the present council to be even more centralised. She thought that the district management committees and districrt boards would not be very effective if the elected members were outnumbered by the appointed members.
The Hong Kong Observers representative argued that Hong Kong should have completely elected district councils with real decision-making powers.
The Seventies representative described the Green paper proposals as too cautious. Hong Kong's special circumstances had been advanced by the Government to oppose moves towards greater democracy, he said, but no one appeared to have given any serious thoughts to whether a little more democracy for the people would really be inconsistent with Hong Kong's special position.
A writer of the Chung Pao Monthly saw the constituency system as a challenge to Urban Councillors who would have to make more efforts to win the support of voters.
Another writer of the magazine said district boards in the New Territories and the urban areas should be given the same terms of reference.
To avoid duplication, constituencies in the New Territories should be changed to district councils of the Urban Council while those in the urban areas would be called urban district councils to allow all constituencies in Hong Kong to stand on the same footing and to have the same terms of reference.
In addition, he doubted whether public views would be adequately reflected if all district boards were chaired by Government officials.
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