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THEY HAVE A MAINLY ADVISORY ROLE WITH A SUBSTANTIAL INFLUENCE OVER DISTRICT AFFAIRS. THEY ARE ALSO ALLOCATED SOME PUBLIC
FUNDS FOR LOCAL RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND FOR MINOR ENVIRONMENTAL WORKS.
16. THE SYSTEM BY WHICH MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND DISTRICT BOARDS ARE ELECTED IS BASED ON AN ELECTORAL ROLL ON WHICH ALL RESIDENTS AGED 21 OR ABOVE WHO HAVE BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR SEVEN OR MORE YEARS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE REGISTERED. OUT OF AN ESTIMATED TOTAL POTENTIAL ELECTORATE OF 2.7 MILLION, THERE ARE AT PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 900,000 REGISTERED ELECTORS. AN INTENSIVE CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE MANY MORE ELIGIBLE PERSONS TO REGISTER AS ELECTORS WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
17. PLANS TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS ON THE DISTRICT BOARDS IN 1985 AND TO SET UP A NEW PARTLY ELECTED REGIONAL COUNCIL IN 1986, TO COVER THOSE AREAS NOT UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, WERE ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNMENT VERY RECENTLY. THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL BE COMPOSED OF 12 DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS, NINE REPRESENTATIVES ELECTED FROM THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARDS, THREE EX-OFFICIO REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND 12 APPOINTED MEMBERS. A PROVISION REGIONAL COUNCIL, WITH THE SAME MEMBERSHIP, EXCEPT FOR THE 12 DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS, WILL BE SET UP IN EARLY 1985. THE URBAN COUNCIL IS NOW CONSIDERING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE FORM AND COMPOSITION OF THE URBAN COUNCIL.
18. THERE IS ALSO AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF 371 (NEXT THREE WORDS UNDERLINED) BOARDS AND COMMITTEES, WHICH MAKE UP AN IMPORTANT AND DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE SYSTEM OF CONSULTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG. MANY HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS SERVE AS MEMBERS OF THESE BOARDS AND COMMITTEES. MOST OF THEM ARE APPOINTED BUT IN SOME CASES THEY ARE ELECTED. HALF OF THESE BOARDS AND COMMITTEES ARE CHAIRED BY UNOFFICIALS. SOME OF THE BOARDS ARE STATUTORY AND OTHERS NON- STATUTORY. THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES VARY WIDELY, FROM TENDER ING ADVICE ON IMPORTANT POLICY MATTERS TO THE GOVERNMENT OR TO HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS TO PERFORMING FUNCTIONS OF AN EXECUTIVE OR QUASI- JUDICIAL NATURE. THEY ALSO PROVIDE AN INVALUABLE TRAINING AND RECRUITING GROUND FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE HIGHER COUNCILS.
CHAPTER 3 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM
19. THE MOST DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG IS THAT IT OPERATES ON THE BASIS OF CONSULTATION AND CONSENSUS. IT IS NOT A SYSTEM BASED ON PARTIES, FACTIONS AND ADVERSARIAL POLITICS BUT ONE OF BROAD AGREEMENTS WHICH SEEKS TO TAKE A PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE DAY. THERE IS FULL AND FRANK DISCUSSION OF THE MANY IMPORTANT MATTERS WHICH ARISE, AND DECISIONS ARE REACHED ON THE BASIS OF GENERAL CONSENSUS. THE VERY REAL ADVANTAGES OF THIS SYSTEM, WHICH HAVE ENABLED HONG KONG TO ENJOY SUSTAINED PERIODS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INTERNAL STABILITY, MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN, OR LIGHTLY THROWN ASIDE, IN DEVELOPING PLANS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF MORE REPRESENTATIVE INSTITUTIONS IN HONG KONG.
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