Seminars and Discussion Group

Constitutional Development Task Force
Focus Group
(26 July 2004)

Group Discussion Summaries
Group Facilitator : Dr John Bacon-Shone

Method for Selecting the Chief Executive

The Number of Members of the Election Committee

• One participant suggested that the number should be doubled.

• Another participant opined that an increase in number alone might not be able to enhance the mandate of the Chief Executive election. It was more important to diversify the composition of the Election Committee and to have more direct participation by the populace.

The Composition of the Election Committee

• Some participants considered that broader representation of the Election Committee was required to enhance the mandate of Chief Executive. One participant considered that the existing four sectors were inadequate in reflecting the voice of the average citizen. Some considered that more direct representation of the general populace should be considered.

• Some participants suggested that District Council members should play a more important role in the election of the Chief Executive. Their role in the Chief Executive election should be publicised before the District Council election so that voters would be aware of their new role.

• A participant noted that there was a lack of representation of international business, which played an important role in Hong Kong's economy.

• Some participants suggested that the following new sub-sectors be considered: grassroots, middle class, elderly, and non-governmental organizations.

The Number of Members Required for Nominating Candidates

• One participant suggested that there should be more candidates to allow for genuine contest.

The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Election Committee

• A participant opined that since the Election Committee electorate was more or less the same as that of the functional constituencies, they might have too much influence in both the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council elections.

• A participant suggested that individual voting instead of corporate voting should be adopted.

Method for Forming the Legislative Council

The Number of Seats in the Legislative Council

• One participant suggested that the number of Legislative Council seats should be increased so as to enlarge the pool of political talents and to allow for broader representation.

• Another participant expressed worry that an increase in the number of Legislative Council seats would invariably lead to the creation of more functional constituency seats, which might eventually become vested interests. One participant noted that this concern might be alleviated by widening the electorate for functional constituencies.

The Number of Seats Returned by Functional Constituencies

• One participant suggested that representation of ethnic minorities should be considered. Another participant noted that although existing functional constituencies were mainly based on economic rationale, this needed not apply to new functional constituencies.

• One participant noted that there was a lack of representation of international business, which contributed significantly to HK's economy.

• One participant noted that, in the long-term, functional constituencies should be phased out because some of them focused on their own interests and some of their delineation lacked clear rationale.

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

• One participant suggested that the delineation of functional constituencies should be based on objective criteria, such as business registration and audited accounts, rather than membership of associations which might change from time to time.

• One participant suggested that representation of ethnic minorities should be considered.

• Some participants opined that the electorate size of some existing functional constituencies were relatively small and should be reviewed.

• One participant suggested that corporate voting should be replaced by individual voting.

Provisions regarding Nationality of Legislative Council Members

• One participant suggested that foreign nationals should be allowed to contest in geographical constituency seats.

• One participant suggested that consideration be given to retaining 20% of seats for foreign nationals if and when the functional constituencies were phased out.

Other Views

• Some participants suggested that certain wider issues with regard to constitutional development should be considered e.g. executive-legislature relationship. There were views that there might be potential conflict between maintaining effective governance by an executive-led Government and a Legislative Council with increasing number of directly-elected seats.

• One participant suggested that the potential conflict between the executive and the legislature might be overcome by composing the Executive Council in such a manner as to reflect the balance of political forces in the Legislative Council.

• Another participant concurred, adding that this might help steer political parties towards policy formulation rather than mere opposition.

• On CPG/SAR relationship, some participants suggested that consideration be given to the potential conflict between the appointment of the Chief Executive by the Central Authorities and the election of the Chief Executive through universal suffrage.

• One participant suggested making reference to the practice of some countries, whereby a manifesto widely accepted by the public was developed during the election of their leaders. In his view, the Chief Executive's mandate could be enhanced through this process.

• Some participants suggested that the nomination of Chief Executive candidates should be sequenced in such a manner that Election Committee candidates could, before their own election to the Election Committee, declare how they intended to vote in the Chief Executive election.

• One participant suggested that there should be a "paradigm shift" among Legislative Council Members so that they would bear both powers and responsibilities.

• Some participants suggested that more resources be made available for Legislative Council Members to conduct policy research so as to improve their committee work.

• One participant suggested that more resources be provided to political parties.

• Another participant suggested that more resources be provided to enhance public understanding of democracy.

• One participant opined that Legislative Council Members should be made full-time so that they could focus on legislative work.

• One participant considered that the political system should not be decided solely on the basis of sentiments reflected in political rallies, since people might demonstrate for different reasons.

• Another participant considered that there was a need to co-operate and maintain a harmonious relationship with the Mainland.

• One participant suggested implementing automatic voter registration.