TNAG-1012-FCO40-1262-Address-by-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--at-t-1981 — Page 66

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Urban Councillors and Rural Committee Chairmen will have seats

provided for them. The Board speaks for the District and advises the

Management Committee, and if necessary the Secretary for Home Affairs

or the New Territories, on how its needs should be met. The scheme is

already operating in all New Territories Districts, albeit so far

without an elected element. Management committees have already been

established in all urban districts and the process of establishing

District Boards is going well and will be completed by next March.

The scheme is proving a significant success even on its

present basis. But interest now focuses on the first set of elections

which will be in New Territories Districts next March and for which

registration of voters is now taking place. The necessary legislation

was passed in July this year to provide for elections to both the

District Boards and the Urban Council based on constituencies and a new

broad franchise. As this is something new to Hong Kong, it is the

Government's duty to ensure the public understand the scheme and

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realise the need for local public involvement in District Administration,

and understand how they can register and vote. So far in the New

Territories 90,000 applications for registration have been received.

Registration will take place in the City Districts in March and April

next year and elections will be held in September.

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The reform follows an evolution that has been taking place

over a period of years. So though the form is entirely new to Hong

Kong it is not a step in the dark, nor does it circumscribe the essential

powers of the Central Government or of this Council, the Urban Council

or the traditional role of the Heung Yee Kuk. Nevertheless this

partnership in District Administration will produce new and much sharper

/focus