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Constitutional Development Task Force
Focus Group
(23 August 2004)
Group Discussion Summaries
Green Group: Professor Wong Chack-kie
(Translation)
Method for Selecting the Chief Executive
The Number of Members of the Election Committee
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Participants suggested that the number of Election Committee members should be increased to between 1 500 and 6 800 to enhance public participation.
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A participant considered that if the number of Election Committee members were increased to 3 400, this would achieve the goal of allowing 1 in every 2 000 Hong Kong citizens to participate in the Chief Executive election. If the number were increased to 6 800, then about 1 in every 1 000 citizens would be able to participate. Such increases could enhance public
participation in the Chief Executive election.
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A participant opined that the main point was not the size of the Election Committee. The key issue was to enhance the legitimacy of the Election Committee member.
The Composition of the Election Committee
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Some participants suggested that certain subsectors which had significant contribution to the community should be included, such as retired senior civil servants (to include in the Fourth Sector), small and medium enterprises, fund management, logistics, private education and information technology.
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A participant suggested that representation for the middle class should be enhanced as they were inadequately represented under the current composition. However, another participant opined that it would be difficult to clearly define the middle class.
The Number of Members Required for Nominating Candidates
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A participant suggested that the lower limit should be set at 5% of the total number of Election Committee members and an upper limit of 25-30% could be considered. The objective was to encourage more candidates to participate in the election and instil competition.
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A participant suggested that each Election Committee member could nominate up to two candidates and that nominations be kept secret so that the members would not be subject to pressure in the nominating or voting process. Another participant disagreed and opined that the whole process should be conducted with a high level of transparency.
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A participant suggested that each candidate should have a minimum number of subscribers from each sector, so as to ensure that the candidates have general support across the sectors.
The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Election Committee
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Participants were of the view that the delineation of the electorate of the subsectors should be revised in the light of economic development. Besides, the size of the electorate should be substantively enlarged (for example to be doubled or tripled) so as to enhance the representativeness of the Election Committee.
Method for Forming the Legislative Council
The Number of Seats in the Legislative Council
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Some participants opined that the number of Legislative Council seats should be increased to 80 in view of the actual need of legislative work. This would not only enhance public participation, but also be conducive to grooming political talents.
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A participant opined that there was no need to increase the number of seats, but more resources and manpower should be provided to Legislative Council Members to support their work and to allow them sufficient time for meetings and dealing with other businesses.
The Number of Seats Returned by Geographical Constituencies
The Number of Seats Returned by Functional Constituencies
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Some participants suggested that if the number of Legislative Council seats were increased to 80, the number of seats returned by functional constituencies should be increased to 40 to take account of economic development and to include some new constituencies.
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Suggestions from participants regarding new functional constituencies included: small and medium enterprises, Mainland enterprises, aviation (to be split from the transport constituency), private education, logistics, creative industries, and foreign chambers of commerce. They opined that these sectors played an important role in Hong Kong's economy and society, but
were not represented by the current functional constituencies.
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A participate suggested that the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publishing functional constituency should be split, because it was difficult for a single Legislative Council Member to represent sectors of different natures.
The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Legislative Council Functional Constituencies
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A participant suggested that the size of the functional constituencies electorate should be substantively enlarged, in particular the number of individual voters, so as to enhance public participation.
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A participant suggested a system of "one-person, two votes" be adopted, whereby every voter should be eligible to vote in both geographical constituencies and functional constituencies to realize the principle of wide and fair participation.
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A participant opined that objective criteria should be established in the delineation of functional constituencies so that the public could better understand the criteria.
Provisions regarding Nationality of Legislative Council Members
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A participant opined that the provision which allowed persons with foreign nationality to be elected Legislative Council Members should be abolished, as in most other places foreign nationals were not allowed to be members of the legislature.
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A participant opined that the current provision should be preserved having regard to its historical background. Besides, the provision allowed for talents from different background to serve the Legislative Council and helped to reflect the cosmopolitan status of Hong Kong.
Other Views
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