provision of more directly elected seats on the Legislative Council, suggests that fresh consideration should be given to the lower tiers of representative government. Any proposal to increase the elected elements in the district boards and municipal councils would need to have regard to public demand, the effects on their operation and convergence with the Basic Law.
The case for maintaining the status quo
5
The present draft of the Basic Law stipulates that "district organizations which are not organs of political power may be established in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to be consulted by the Government of the Region on District Administration and other affairs, or to be responsible for providing services in such fields as culture, recreation and environmental sanitation" and that "the powers and functions of the district organizations and their composition shall be prescribed by law" (Articles 96 and 97). These provisions, if eventually promulgated in the Basic Law, would allow the municipal councils and district boards to carry on with their existing roles and functions. There is no requirement for them to be fully elected after 1997. Given their responsibilities, the case for district boards and the municipal councils to be fully elected is less strong than that for the legislature.
6
It may also be argued that the appointments system helps to balance the membership of these bodies, as well as providing opportunities for community spirited citizens to gain political experience.
7
On
the face of it, public demand to bodies
The future composition of the municipal councils and district boards has not been subject to the same intense public debate as the composition of the Legislative Council. there does not appear to be any significant increase the elected element or for these to be fully elected eventually. Given the changes that be introduced in the Legislative Council, it could be argued that we should avoid concurrent major changes to the lower tiers of representative government. Whether, and if so how, changes should be introduced in relation to the overall constitutional development considered later.
are to
to
take place in 1995, could be
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Private notes are available after approval.