Seminars and Discussion Group

Constitutional Development Task Force
Focus Group
(25 June 2004)

Group Discussion Summaries
Group Facilitator : Prof Nelson Chow

(Translation)

Method for Selecting the Chief Executive

The Number of Members of the Election Committee

A participant considered that the number of members of the Election Committee should be suitably increased.
Some participants supported expanding the Election Committee.
A participant suggested increasing the number of Election Committee members to about 2 000 by adding 800 persons randomly selected at district level. However, some participants were against the proposal of drawing lots.
A participant opined that the size of the Election Committee should not be enlarged simply to meet public demand. The ultimate direction of constitutional development must be taken into account.
A participant proposed to use the fourth sector as the starting point. If the fourth sector were increased to 700, the other sectors should follow suit.
A participant considered that the expanded Election Committee could be transformed into the Nomination Committee in the long run.

The Composition of the Election Committee

Inclusion of District Council Members

A participant suggested that the current composition of the four sectors remain unchanged, but include all District Council members.
A participant took the view that there were only a few District Council members in the Election Committee, and that the number should be increased.
A participant considered that the inclusion of District Council members was the second best option. It would enhance the mandate of the Election Committee.
Some participants did not agree to the inclusion of District Council Members because when voters voted in the District Council election, they only had in mind electing a representative to handle district issues. The requirements of a district representative were different from that of a Election Committee member.
Another participant disagreed with the inclusion incumbent District Council members because they had no mandate from voters. However, in the long run, District Council members could be included in the Election Committee. A participant pointed out that when the Election Committee elected the Chief Executive in the past, it did not have a popular mandate either. By the same token, he saw no problem in including District Council members to elect the Chief Executive.
A participant took the view that a thorough assessment should be conducted before including District Council members in the Election Committee.
A participant proposed to elect 600 persons at district level. From among these elected persons, some could be elected to be Election Committee members.

Delineation of Sectors

A participant considered it necessary to restructure the sub-sectors.
A participant was of the view that the existing sectors were unable to reflect the policy preferences of the community as a whole.
A participant suggested that a sub-sector for "housewives" be introduced.
A participant opined that the principle of "balanced participation" could not be achieved under the current delineation. This was because participation in the professional sectors was on an individual basis, while participation in the non-professional sectors was on a corporate basis.
A participant considered that the delineation should take into account the fact that many Hong Kong people were working in the Mainland, such as the labour sector, the commerce and industry sector, and small and medium enterprises.

The Number of Members Required for Nominating Candidates

A participant suggested relaxing the current nomination requirement of 100 subscribers by, for example, lowering the ratio.
A participant was of the opinion that if the total number of Election Committee members were increased, the number of subscribers required could be reduced.

The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Election Committee

A participant agreed that the electorate of the Election Committee should be broadened.
A participant supported enlarging the electoral base of the Election Committee so that the views of more people could be represented.
A participant suggested that District Council members be included in the Election Committee so as to enlarge the electoral base of the latter.
A participant considered that the current arrangement for corporate voting was not appropriate.
Some participants suggested reducing corporate voting whilst increasing individual voting as far as possible.
A participant opined that the non-professional sectors could also adopt individual voting. However, some other participants had different views.

Others

Principles

A participant considered that "stability" should be the principle for constitutional development. Otherwise, investors would be adversely affected.
A participant remarked that, in taking forward constitutional development, the future of our country should be taken into consideration.
A participant was of the opinion that the design of the system be able to resolve existing problems.
A participant opined that the principle of balanced participation should be upheld, and that functional constituencies did not necessarily have to be abolished.
A participant took the view that the mandate of the Chief Executive should be enhanced.

Vision and Timetable for Universal Suffrage

A participant took the view that there should be a vision and a plan, such as a timetable and format for achieving universal suffrage. We could then work backwards and plan accordingly to build an election culture.
Some participants took the view that there should be a timetable for constitutional development.
Some participants suggested that the aim of Hong Kong's future political development should be discussed.
A participant did not agree to setting a timetable because of the rapid changes of society. Further, time would be needed to educate the community as a whole.
A participant considered it not practicable to discuss timetable at the moment.

Universal Suffrage

A participant said that there was an urgency to elect the Chief Executive by universal suffrage so as to improve governance and enhance legitimacy.
A participant said that universal suffrage was not a panacea but it would help enhance legitimacy.
A participant said that although he looked forward to achieving universal suffrage ultimately, for now the priority should be to handle the elections of 2007/08 properly.
A participant suggested increasing democratic element as far as possible in the elections of 2007/08 to increase public participation and to enhance the legitimacy of the Chief Executive.
A participant supported strengthening national education. Universal suffrage should be implemented after a sense of national identity had been built up.
A participant was of the opinion that "one-man-one-vote" did not equal universal suffrage.

Underpinning Measures

A participant was of the view that constitutional development required underpinning measures, such as the grooming of political talent. The Government and the community should create favourable conditions.
A participant suggested that the functions of District Councils be strengthened to groom political talents, and to narrow a political gap between District Councils and the Legislative Council.

Others

A participant supported "one-man-multiple-vote" because the interests of different sectors could be represented.

Method for Forming the Legislative Council

The Number of Seats in the Legislative Council

Some participants supported an increase in the number of seats to relieve the heavy workload of the Legislative Council and to improve the quality of Legislative Council Members.
A participant questioned whether 60 Legislative Council seats were sufficient, given that Hong Kong had a population of seven million.
A participant objected to increasing the number of seats because the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress had decided to maintain the ratio of functional to geographical seats at 50:50. Once new functional constituencies were created, they would be difficult to be abolished in the future.

The Number of Seats Returned by Geographical Constituencies

A participant proposed to increase the number of seats from 30 to 40. The number of seats in each geographical constituency should be increased in proportion with its population. This would facilitate the development of political parties and the grooming of more political talents.
A participant pointed out that there were not enough directly elected Legislative Council Members at present.
A participant considered that increasing in the number of seats was in line with the long term prospect of democracy.

The Number of Seats Returned by Functional Constituencies

A participant suggested that the number of seats be increased from 30 to 40. The new seats should be allocated equally to the upper, middle and lower classes.
A participant opined that any new functional constituencies which were to be created should take an interest in the developments in the Mainland.
A participant did not support increasing the number of seats for functional constituencies as considerable controversies would arise over which sectors the seats should go to.

The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of Legislative Council Functional Constituencies

A participant suggested reviewing the current delineation because the community had been changing all the time.

Others

A participant supported "one-man-two-votes" as this could reflect both district and sectoral interests.
A participant was of the opinion that functional constituencies was a transitional arrangement only as the Basic Law had provided for universal suffrage. Moreover, functional constituencies were too focused on sectoral interests and this was not conducive to compromise politics, nor would it facilitate the professionalisation of the Legislative Council and the politicians. The longer the transition period, the longer the existing political problems would drag on.
A participant suggested reviewing the functions of District Councils to see how it could be linked with those of the Legislative Council.


2004 \| Important notices	Last revision date: 1 July 2007