TNAG-1286-FCO40-16372-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-2-of-2-1984 — Page 116

10.

people's elected representatives with the

Administration via a so-called ministerial system

would representative government have real meaning;

and Mr. Peter Wong and Mr. Stephen Cheong also

touched on the possibility that, in due course,

some Unofficial. Members of Executive Council might

assume executive responsibility for particular portfolios.

Although there are valid arguments in favour of

introducing such a system, and the link between the

Executive and Legislative Councils and the Administration

presently provided by ex-officio and Official Members

could just as logically be provided by appointing some

Unofficial Members to executive posts, it would represent

a radical change in the present constitutional and

administrative system in Hong Kong. That is no contrary

argument in itself and I can assure Miss Dunn and

Mrs. Selina Chow that our minds are not closed to this

possible viewpoint. However, we must avoid overloading

the system with too many simultaneous reforms and we

must be quite clear as to the implications of such

appointments for the collective policy-making role

of the Executive Council. Equally, the implications

of a ministerial system for the Civil Service must

be clearly thought through.

However, as with direct

/elections...