TNAG-1317-FCO40-1720-Future-of-Hong-Kong-meetings-of-the-Cabinet-Defence-and-Over-1984 — Page 96

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THEY HAVE A MAINLY ADVISORY ROLE WITH A SUBSTANTIAL INFLUENCE OVER DISTRICT AFFAIRS. THEY ARE ALSO ALLOCATED SOME PUBLIC

FUNDS FOR LOCAL RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND FOR MINOR

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKS.

16. THE SYSTEM BY WHICH MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AND DISTRICT BOARDS ARE ELECTED IS BASED ON AN ELECTORAL ROLL ON WHICH ALL

RESIDENTS AGED 21 OR ABOVE WHO HAVE BEEN IN HONG KONG FOR SEVEN OR MORE YEARS ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE REGISTERED. OUT OF AN ESTIMATED TOTAL POTENTIAL ELECTORATE OF 2.7 MILLION, THERE ARE AT PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 900,000 REGISTERED ELECTORS. AN INTERSIVE CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE MANY MORE ELIGIBLE PERSONS TO REGISTER AS ELECTORS

WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

17. PLANS TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS ON THE BISTRICT BOARDS IN 1985 AND TO SET UP A NEW PARTLY ELECTED REGIONAL COUNCIL IN 1986, TO COVER THOSE AREAS NOT UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, WERE ANNOUNCED BY THE GOVERNMENT VERY RECENTLY. THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL BE COMPOSED OF 12 DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS,

NINE REPRESENTATIVES ELECTED FROM THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT 20ARDS, THREE EX-OFFICIO REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND 12 APPOINTED MEMBERS. A PROVISION REGIONAL COUNCIL, WITH THE

SAME MEMBERSHIP, EXCEPT FOR THE 12 DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS, WILL

BE SET UP IN EARLY 1985. THE URBAN COUNCIL IS NOW COMSIDERING THE

IMPLICATIONS OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR

THE FORM AND COMPOSITION OF THE URBAN COUNCIL.

12. THERE IS ALSO AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF 371 (NEXT THREE WORDS

UNDERLINED) BOARDS AND COMMITTEES, WHICH MAKE UP AN IMPORTANT AND

DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE SYSTEM OF CONSULTATIVE GOVE: NMENT IN

HONG KONG. MANY HUNDREDS OF CITIZENS SERVE AS MEMBERS OF THESE BOARDS

AND COMMITTEES. MOST OF THEM ARE APPOINTED BUT IN SOME CASES THEY

ARE ELECTED. HALF OF THESE BOARDS AND COMMITTEES ARE CHAIRED BY

UNOFFICIALS. SOME OF THE BOARDS ARE STATUTORY AND OTHERS NON-

STATUTORY. THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES VARY WIDELY, FROM TENDERING

ADVICE ON IMPORTANT POLICY MATTERS TO THE GOVERNMENT OR TO HEADS

OF DEPARTMENTS TO PERFORMING FUNCTIONS OF AN EXECUTIVE OR QUASI-

JUDICIAL NATURE. THEY ALSO PROVIDE AN INVALUABLE TRAINING AND

RECRUITING GROUND FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE HIGHER COUNCILS.

CHAPTER 3 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 GEMERAL 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 THROW ASIDE, IN

DEVELOPING PLANS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF MORE REF: TENTATIVE

AMSTITUTIONO IN HONG KONG.

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120.