CONFIDENTIAL
21.
The Regional Council to be constituted on 1 April 1986 wil1
will be directly elected by
have 36
members.
constituencies;
Chairman and
12 members
The
a further 12 will be appointed by the Governor.
two Vice-chairmen of the Heung Yee Kuk will be members
ex officio, and the nine District Boards in
the nine District Boards in the New Territories wil1
each elect from among their own members one further councillor.
In
April 1985 a provisional Regional Council of appointed members
District
was established to allow working
experience to be gained before the Regional Council comes in to
being.
Board representatives
(d) Legislative Council
22.
These reforms considerably enhanced representative government
at the district, urban and regional level. In November 1984, having
sought and received public comment on proposals contained in a Green
Paper, the Hong Kong Government published a White Paper setting out
the steps to be taken in 1985 to develop representative government
at the central level.
The proposals in the White Paper were
endorsed by the Legislative Council in January 1985. The principal
reforms concerned the Legislative Council, to which 24 members would
be chosen for the first time by indirect elections; 12 were to be
elected by electoral colleges comprising all members of the District
Boards, the Urban Council and the new Regional Council, and 12 by
specific functional constituencies covering the major sectors
community.
The total membership of the Legislative Council,
excluding the President (the Governor) was increased from 46 to 56
members, with official membership decreasing from 16 to 10, and
In
unofficial appointed membership decreasing from 30 to 22.
addition a review was promised for 1987 to consider whether and if
So what further changes should take place in 1988.
This, together
with the proposal to introduce 24 indirectly elected members,
differed from the proposals in the Green Paper, where a review in
1989 and the introduction of only 12 indirectly elected members were
suggested. There changes demonstrated the willingness of the Hong.
Kong Government to respond to constructive public comment.
8
CONFIDEN TIAL
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