TNAG-1288-FCO40-1639-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 5

MAIN PROPOSALS FOR THE WHITE PAPER

A

AIMS OF THE PROPOSALS

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The White Paper will re-iterate the aims of the main proposals in the Green Paper. It will also explain that the White Paper's proposals are

are simply but another stage in the development of representaive government in Hong Kong, that further developments will be necessary in the 1990's, and that these will be considered

a later stage, in the light of experience during the next few years.

B

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

The electoral college

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The Green Paper proposed that the electoral college should be composed of all the elected and, to start with, all the appointed members of the Urban

the Urban Council, the new Regional Council and the District Boards; that it should be able to elect

who anyone

is a registered elector on the general electoral roll and who has been ordinarily resident in Hong Kong for a minimum of

ten years, not necessarily from among their own number; and that these arrangements should be introduced progressively, with six Unofficial members being elected in 1985 and 12 in 1988.

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The proposal for the election of some Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council by an electoral college has been widely discussed by District Boards, and Area and Mutual Aid Committees who have given the proposal general support. A few criticisms have been made of the proposal to include the "appointed" members of the Urban Council, the new Regional Council and the District Boards in the electoral college start with, and of the

the proposal that the electoral college might elect a person not necessarily from among their Own number. However, since there has been neither widespread opposition to nor outright rejection of these proposals for the short term, it is proposed to retain them subject to review in 1987.