TNAG-1286-FCO40-16372-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-2-of-2-1984 — Page 299

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

ي المدي الام

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15. AS REGARDS THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, IT IS PROPOSED THAT A

SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHOULD

BE ELECTED INDIRECTLY BY AN ELECTORAL COLLEGE COMPOSED OF ALL

MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE

DISTRICT BOARDS: THAT A SIMILAR NUMBER SHOULD BE ELECTED BY

SPECIFIED FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES: BY WHICH WE MEAN ORGANISATIONS REPRESENTING COMMERCE, INDUSTRY, THE LAW AND OTHER IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF OUR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE: THAT A NUMBER

OF APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS SHOULD BE RETAINED ON THE COUNCIL, FOR THE TIME BEING: AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A GRADUAL REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF OFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. BY 1988, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WOULD BE COMPOSED OF 12 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE, 12 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, 16 APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS AND 10 OFFICIAL MEMBERS. THIS COMPARES WITH THE PRESENT COUNCIL OF

29 APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS AND 18 OFFICIALS.

16. IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW SYSTEM OF INDIRECT ELECTIONS WHICH IS PROPOSED IN THE GREEN PAPER. FOR THIS REASON IT IS OUR INTENTION TO INTRODUCE THIS NEW SYSTEM STEP BY STEP, AND TO REVIEW PROGRESS AFTER THE INITIAL STAGES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, BEFORE DECIDING WHAT FURTHER STEPS SHOULD BE TAKEN.

17. THE SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS I HAVE JUST DESCRIBED WOULD BE INTRODUCED IN TWO STAGES - IN 1985 AND 1988 - FOLLOWING THE DISTRICT

BOARD ELECTIONS IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS.

18. IN 1989, THERE WOULD BE A REVIEW OF THE POSITION WITH A VIEW TO DETERMINING WHAT FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS SHOULD BE PURSUED. IN PARTICULAR, THE REVIEW WILL ASSESS WHETHER BY THEN IT WOULD BE THE WISH OF THE COMMUNITY THAT ALL UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS SHOULD THEREAFTER BE ELECTED, OR WHETHER THERE WOULD STILL BE A NEED FOR A NUMBER OF DIRECTLY APPOINTED MEMBERS. AT THIS TIME TOO, IT WOULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE TO CONSIDER WHETHER THERE WAS A WISH TO INTRODUCE DIRECT ELECTIONS BASED ON GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES, OR WHETHER TO CONTINUE AND DEVELOP FURTHER THE SYSTEM OF INDIRECT ELECTIONS.

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

19. AS REGARDS THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, IT IS PROPOSED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL SHOULD BE REPLACED PROGRESSIVELY BY MEMBERS ELECTED BY THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL FROMTHEIR OWN NUMBER: THAT A FEW MEMBERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR: AND THAT EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS SHOULD REMAIN AS MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. THESE PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WOULD ALSO BE INTRODUCED IN TWO STAGES - IN 1988 AND 1991 - FOLLOWING THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS IN EACH OF THOSE YEARS.

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