TNAG-1284-FCO40-1636-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 48

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20. THIS SYSTEM OF CONSULTATION AND CONSENSUS HAS GROWN UP AROUND TWO SEPARATE APPROACHES TO THE QUESTION OF HOW THE PEOPLE OF HONG

KONG SHOULD BE REPRESENTED. TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHARED

INTERESTS AMONG THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED - FIRST, THOSE ARISING FROM THEIR PLACE OF RESIDENCE: SECOND, THOSE ARISING FROM

THEIR OCCUPATIONS. THESE GROUPINGS CAN BE DESCRIBED AS

''CONSTITUENCIES''

CONSTITUENCIES.

GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES AND FUNCTIONAL

21. THE GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES ARE BASED ON INSTITUTIONS

SUCH AS THE URBAN COUNCIL, THE HEUNG YEE KUK, THE RURAL COMMITTEES

AND, MORE RECENTLY, THE DISTRICT BOARDS.

22. THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES ARE BASED ON PEOPLE'S COMMON

INTERESTS, SUCH AS COMMERCE, INDUSTRY, LAW, MEDICINE, FINANCE, EDUCATION, TRADE UNIONS, ETC. MANY OF THESE CONSTITUENCIES HAVE

A VERY LONG HISTORY IN HONG KONG.

23. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE RATHER UNIQUE CONSTITUENCIES HAS BEEN

ENCOURAGED TO A CONSIDERABLE DEGREE BY THE COMPACT GEOGRAPHICAL

NATURE OF HONG KONG.

24. IT IS FROM THESE GEOGRPAHICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES

THAT THE APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS

OF GOVERNMENT, IN PARTICULAR THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND THE

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, TRADITIONALLY HAVE BEEN DRAWN. THEY HAVE BEEN

SELECTED TO REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE HONG KONG COMMUNITY AND ITS

MAIN PRE-OCCUPATIONS, AND THEY PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE. MOREOVER, THE SYSTEM HAS EVOLVED STEADILY TO KEEP

PACE WITH THE CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES OF HONG KONG: FOR EXAMPLE,

THE NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL HAS BEEN

DOUBLED DURING THE PAST TEN YEARS, ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE URBAN

COUNCIL HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FOR MANY

YEARS, AND MORE RECENTLY TWO ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT

BOARDS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

25. IT IS PROPOSED TO BUILD ON THESE GEOGRAPHICAL AND FUNCTIONAL

CONSTITUENCIES BY DEVELOPING THE PRESENT SYSTEM WHEREBY ALL

UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ARE SELECTED AND

APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FROM THESE CONSTITUENCIES INTO A SYSTEM

WHICH WILL PROVIDE FOR A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF UNOFFICIAL

MEMBERS TO BE ELECTED FROM WITHIN THESE CONSTITUENCIES TO THE

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

26. IN THE CASE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES, IT IS PROPOSED

THAT AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED CONSISTING OF ALL

THE ELECTED AND APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL,

THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS, WHICH WOULD ELECT A

SPECIFIED NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

IN THE CASE OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES IT WILL BE NECESSARY

TO DEFINE CLEARLY THOSE CONSTITUENCIES WHICH SHOULD BE INVITED

TO ELECT REPRESENTATIVES TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND TO DEVISE

APPROPRIATE MEANS OF CONDUCTING THOSE ELECTIONS.

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