3
-
The 1995 Leaco Election Proposal
7.
Respondents felt that this was an area in which close consultation with China was vital. The public in general welcomed the establishment of single-seat, single-vote constituencies. As to the lowering of the voting age, reactions were mixed. As regards the abolition of appointed members to Municipal Councils and District Boards, views were also divided. Although some thought that this was inevitable to enable the councils/boards to become more open, many others remained adament that appointed members played a pivotal role in balancing the elected elements. Many considered the abolition of appointed members to be too hasty, and feared that the political balance in Hong Kong might be upset. Commentators welcomed the suggestion for District Boards to assume more responsibilities and be given more resources to enable them to tackle district matters more effectively. Some, however, expressed concern that there might be a possible overlapping of functions between the Municipal Councils and District Boards. Respondents from the Heung Yee Kuk (New Territories Rural Consultative Council) were particularly pleased to see that the ex-officio seats representing the rural sector would be retained.
8.
The proposal to retain functional constituencies drew criticisms from the liberal political groups who maintained that such a system was unfair in principle. At the same time, many saw the modified system of functional constituency elections as a means to by-pass the restriction of the Basic Law on the number of directly elected seats.
9.
The proposal for District Board members to form an Election Committee to return LegCo members for the 1995 elections prompted doubts as to whether the Chinese side would agree to such a composition, and Some whether such arrangements, if implemented, would survive after 1997. also expressed worries that political parties would dominate the scene. NT respondents asked whether NTDB ex-officio members i.e. Rural Committee chairmen would be included in the Election Committee.
Surprisin
Þ0'd
8981 TZS 298
SNOH INEWNY3N09 XH
¿S:8T
26AT-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.