TNAG-1331-FCO40-1758-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 302

APP

IV

2.13

THE TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE OFFICE REFER TO THE ''WELL ESTABLISHED AND FAMILIAR CONSULTATIVE CHANNELS IN HONG KONG''. HONG KONG HAS OVER THE YEARS DEVELOPED A UNIQUE AND EXTENSIVE SYSTEM OF CONSULTATION ON MAJOR ISSUES, THROUGH WHICH OPINION IS GATHERED. A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS OF CONSULTATION WILL INDICATE THE PERVASIVENESS AND THE DEPTH OF THE CONSULTATION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE WHICH PRECEDES THE

EXPRESSION OF VIEWS.

2.14

(3)

THE DAILY NEWSPAPERS NMONITORED BY THE

OFFICE INCLUDED :-

(1) ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILIES HONG KONG

STANDARD, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST: (11) CHINESE LANGAUAGE DAILIES HONG KONG

DAILY NEWS, HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL, HONG KONG TIMES, KUNG SHEUNG DAILY NEWS, MING PAO, NEW EVENING POST, ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS, SING PAO DAILY NEWS, SING TAO JIH PAO, TA KUNG PAO, THE EXPRESS,

TIN TIN DAILY NEWS, WAH KIU YAT PO, WEN

WEI PO.

THE MAGAZINES MONITORED BY THE OFFICE

INCLUDED :-

ASIAWEEK, CHEN G MING, CHINA'S ROAD MONTHLY, CHUNG PAO MONTHLY, FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW, FOCUS, HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL MONTHLY, MING PAO MONTHLY, PAI SHING SEMI-MONTHLY, THE PERSPECTIVE, THE ECONOMIST, THE MIRROR, THE NINETIES, WIDE ANGLE AND OTHERS WITH ARTICLES ON HONG KONG E.G. HONG KONG BUSINESS TODAY, NEWSWEEK, TIME.

THE EXECUTIVE, LEGISLATIVE AND URBAN COUNCILS, THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN REFLECTING THE VIEWS FROM A WIDE SPECTRUM OF SOCIETY THROUGH THE IR RESPECTIVE AREAS OF INFLUENCE. A DESCRIPTION OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS AT APPENDIX IV. TOGETHER THEY

PROVIDE A BALANCED AND EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATIVE PLATFORM FOR

PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR THE RURAL AND URBAN POPULATION.

2.15 THERE ARE EIGHTEEN DISTRICT BOARDS WITH ELECTED AND APPOINTED MEMBERS WHICH GIVE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIVE COVER TO THE ENTIRE TERRITORY. THE DISTRICT BOARDS ARE LINKED BY MEMBERSHIP TO THE AREA COMMITTEES OF WHICH THERE ARE ONE HUNDRED. EACH AREA COMMITTEE COVERS ROUGHLY 50,000 PEOPLE AND CONSISTS OF 15 TO 25 MEMBERS WHO ARE DRAWN FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE COMMUNITY INCLUDING REPRESENTATIVES OF RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATIONS SUCH AS THE MUTUAL AID COMMITTEES. IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, EACH RURAL COMMITTEE IS MADE UP OF VILLAGE REPRESENTATIVES, AND ITS CHAIRMAN IS

ALLOCATED A SEAT ON THE DISTRICT BOARD.

SECRET-12-

1

✩

12.16.