CHAPTER III
The Development of the Present System
19. The most distinctive feature of the present system of government in Hong Kong is that it operates on the basis of consultation and consensus. It is not a system based on parties, factions and adversarial politics but one of broad agreements which seeks to take a pragmatic approach to the problems of the day. There is full and frank discussion of the many important matters which arise, and decisions are reached on the basis of general consensus. The very real advantages of this system, which have enabled Hong Kong to enjoy sustained periods of economic growth and internal stability, must not be forgotten, or lightly thrown aside, in developing plans for the introduction of more representative institutions in Hong Kong,
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 recognized-first, those arising from their place of residence; second, those arising from their occupations. These groupings can be described as “constituencies”-geographical constituencies and functional constituencies.
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 geographical 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
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