TNAG-1286-FCO40-16372-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-2-of-2-1984 — Page 78

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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citizens at large can be trusted in their

judgement in selecting talented and virtuous

persons to be their representatives and that direct elections can raise the civic awareness of

the citizens. It is noted that direct elections

have been practised in may countries and even in

the Urban Council of Hong Kong and so far there has been no incident of instability reported. They

further argue that there is nothing wrong with

the emergence of political parties.

(b) They question the advisability of the proposal of

selecting members by functional constituencies.

They also express doubt on whether functional groups can be properly defined. They are worried that the representatives selected in this way will work for the interests of their own groups, thus neglecting their responsibility to the

people as a whole.

Accompanying these two organizations to the UMELCO

Office were the Hong Kong Storehouses and Transportation Staff

Association and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Electronics Industry

Employees' General Union. All these four organizations

requested that the consultation period be extended to four

months. They did not believe that the people of Hong Kong who

had always lived on their own effort would request the

Government for "free lunch".

(4)

Hong Kong Federation of Catholic Students, Hong Kong Catholic Youth Council and Centre for the Progress of

Peoples

(a) The first aim of the Green Paper could not be

achieved by indirect elections. It is only

through direct elections that candidates will

have to win the support of the people with their

election platform. This ensures reasonable

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