TNAG-1286-FCO40-16372-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-2-of-2-1984 — Page 86

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The selection of Unofficial Members to the

Legislative Council in order to strengthen its representativeness

has actually started since last year. The proposal of

an electoral college in the Green Paper is a further develop-.

ment of this system. I very much welcome this proposal.

However, considering the fact that there are nineteen

district boards and an Urban Council, the allocation of

six seats in 1985 seems proportionally low, therefore the

number of such seats should be increased. The gradual

change from the appointment system to the indirect election

system by an electoral college is to take the advantages of

poth. It maximises the use of human resources on the one

hand, ensuring the quality of the Members, and on the other

hand, strengthens Members' representativeness.

As the

system of selection of elected members to join the

Legislative Council has evoled from the appointment system

which has long proved effective, to a certain extent it is

stable and continuous. And we may say that it has achieved

the effect of public election by the least degree of

changes.

Appointment of Unofficial Members, however, is

based on some objective principles. The electoral college

should also base on the same principles to lay down certain

criteria which should be discussed and accepted by the

public, so as to ensure that representatives are elected

fairly, openly and impartially, thus preventing political

deals or party struggles.

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