form a key part of the tiers of representative Consequently, although the present electoral college will be abolished in 1991, the Government has decided to retain two special constituencies so that each of the Municipal Councils may continue to elect a Member to the Legislative Council."
8
It is proposed that the Municipal Councils should be classified as functional constituencies in 1991 when the electoral college disappears. In this way, Municipal Council representation in the legislature will be able to continue to 1997 and beyond.
9
a
The Urban
Council has requested that it be allocated second seat in the 1991 legislature in view of the importance of the services it
it provides to the community. However, it is considered that one seat should be sufficient to maintain the link between the Council and the legislature.
10
One implication of the proposal in paragraph 8 above, is that an Urban Councillor who is also eligible to vote in another functional constituency will become subject to section 14 (2) of the Legislative Council (Electoral Provisions) Ordinance (Chapter
(Chapter 381), which stipulates that "a person entitled to be registered in more than one functional constituency may be registered in one such constituency only, of that person's choice." vote in the Urban Council functional constituency.
He will not therefore be able to constituency as well as another
Heung Yee Kuk
11
It can be argued that the special rights and privileges long accorded to indigenous villagers, which are recognized in the Joint Declaration, justifies separate representation for the New Territories in the Legislative Council. The Kuk can be said to represent the interests of 500,000 indigenous New Territories residents. By tradition and statute, it is charged with advising Government on New Territories matters and it has contributed significantly in this regard as well as in community building. Indeed, the important role of the Kuk in representing the interests of the indigenous New Territories population, and the need for these interests to be properly represented in the Legislative Council, have been publicly recognized by Government.
CONFIDENTIAL
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