3. SINCE THE ELECTIONS TO THE EIGHT NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARDS IN MARCH 1982, AND TO THE TEN URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS IN OCTOBER 1982, THE DISTRICT 30ARD SYSTEM HAS SETTLED DOWN WELL. THE NEXT CYCLY OF DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS IN ALL DISTRICTS IS DUE IN MARCH 1985, WITH URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS BEING DUE AGAIN IN MARCH 1986. NOW IS AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO CONSIDER WHAT FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS, IF ANY, TO THE SYSTEM ARE APPROPRIATE.
4. ONE OF THE EFFECTS OF THE INTRODUCTION OF DISTRICT CON- STITUENCIES FOR URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS HAS BEEN TO DEPRIVE RESIDENTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES OF THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN URBAN
COUNCIL ELECTIONS. ALTHOUGH THE URBAN COUNCIL HAS NEVER HAD ANY JURISDICTION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND ALTHOUGH THERE HAS
BEEN NO PUBLIC REACTION TO THE DISFRANCHISEMENT OF NEW TERRITORIES
VOTERS, THE CHANGE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO COUNCIL IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WITH THE EQUIVALENT ROLE AND
FINANCIAL AUTONOMY OF THE URBAN COUNCIL IN THE URBAN AREA.
5. THIS ABSENCE OF ANY EQUIVALENT OF THE URBAN COUNCIL IN THE
NEW TERRITORIES IS A MAJOR ANOMALY IN THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENS, AND LEADS TO AN IMBALANCE BETWEEN THE URBAN AREA AND THE NEW
TERRITORIES IN THE PROVISION OF RESOURCES AND THE FUNDING AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECTS IN THOSE PROGRAMME AREAS FOR WHICH
THE URBAN COUNCIL IS RESPONSIBLE. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE LINKS
BETWEEN THE NEW TERRITORIES HEUNG YEE KUK AND THE NEW TERRITORIES
DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE FORM OF RURAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN BEING
EX OFFICIO MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS, THE HEUNG YEE KUK DOES NOT AND CAN NOT FULFIL THE ROLE OF A NEW TERRITORIES COUNCIL
TO PARALLEL THE URBAN COUNCIL. THE HEUNG YEE KUK IS A PURELY
ADVISORY BODY, REPRESENTING LARGELY THE INTERESTS OF THE INDIGENOUS
NEW TERRITORIES PEOPLE, WHO ARE NOW A MINORITY OF THE POPULATION
OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.
6. IN AN ATTEMPT TO RATIONALISE THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATIVE
ARRANGEMENTS, A STUDY OF VARIOUS OPTIONS HAS ALREADY BEEN UNDER-
TAKEN. THREE OF THESE, IN ADDITION TO THE OPTION OF MAKING NO
CHANGE, APPEAR TO MERIT FURTHER EVALUATION
(A) TO REPLACE THE URBAN COUNCIL WITH A CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES
COUNCIL, EXERCISING THE GAME FUNCTIONS AS THE URBAN COUNCIL, BUT
TERRITORY-WIDE. I SEE DANGERS IN THIS PROPOSAL, AND IT IS NOT
THE PREFERRED OPTION.
(3) TO CREATE A SEPARATE NEW TERRITORIES COUNCIL TO MIRROR THE
URBAN COUNCIL IN THE NEW TERRITORIES. THIS ALSO IS PROBABLY NOT
THE PREFERRED OPTION AS THERE WOULD REMAIN A GREAT DISPARITY
BETWEEN THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE NEW TERRITORIES COUNCIL IN
TERMS OF POPULATION AND RESOURCES.
CONFIDENTIAL
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