Seminars and Discussion Group

Text Only Version

Home Affairs Department
Focus Group

Constitutional Development
(30 July 2004)

Group Discussion Summaries

(Translation)

Method for Selecting the Chief Executive

The Number of Members of the Election Committee

Participants generally were of the view that the number of the members of the Election Committee should be increased so as to enhance its legitimacy and representativeness. However, there were different views on the number to be increased.
Many participants suggested that the number of members of the Election Committee should be increased to 1 600 to 2 000 in order to cater for various sectors of the community.
A participant suggested that the more members of the Election Committee, the better. This would avoid candidates securing votes through relations.
A participant was of the opinion that, in the long run, the function of the expanded Election Committee could be transformed into a nomination committee for the Chief Executive candidature. The Chief Executive would then be elected by all the people of Hong Kong.

The Composition of the Election Committee

Many participants proposed that all District Council members should form a new sector of the Election Committee as they had a certain level of representativeness.
However, a participant held a different view, saying that all District Council members should not become members of the Election Committee automatically on the ground that the quality of the District Council members varied. He suggested that District Council members might elect among themselves a certain number of representatives to become Election Committee members.
A participant was of the opinion that the delineation of the sectors of the Election Committee should be reorganized. For example, the Sports, Performing Arts and Culture subsector and the education subsector should be split.

The Number of Members Required for Nominating Candidates

A participant took the view that the number of subscribers required for nomination and the total number of Election Committee members should be in proportion to each other, say one-fourth.
A participant suggested that, if the number of members of the Election Committee were increased to 163 500 or even 500 000, the number of subscribers required should be raised to 200.

The Delineation and Size of the Electorate of the Election Committee

Participants hoped to enhance the representativeness of the Election Committee. Some of them particularly emphasized the participation of the grassroots.
Many participants proposed to review the existing delineation of the electorate. They were of the view that the size of the electorate could be expanded.
A participant suggested a review of the sectors to ensure their respective representativeness and number of votes were in line with the development of the community and the industries.
Some participants commented that there were too many corporate votes at present and thus proposed to increase individual votes. A participant suggested that corporate voting be replaced by one person one vote as far as possible.
A participant opined that if all the 13 500 corporate votes were replaced by individual votes, the number of voters could be increased by about 500 000.

Others

A participant took the view that allowing the grassroots to participate in the nomination and voting process could alleviate their discontent and grievances against the Government.
A participant opined that the subsectors were only able to represent sectoral interests and did not necessarily represent the interests of Hong Kong people as a whole.
A participant considered that the function of the Election Committee was too limited as it was only responsible for selecting the Chief Executive. He proposed to enhance the functions of the Election Committee and use it as a consultation body.

Method for Forming the Legislative Council

The Number of Seats in the Legislative Council

The majority of participants who supported an increase in the number of seats of the Legislative Council agreed that the seats returned by geographical constituencies and functional constituencies should be augmented at the ratio of 1:1. One of the participants suggested that 10 seats be added for geographical constituencies and functional constituencies respectively.
A participant considered that, given the heavy workload of the Legislative Council Members, the number of seats could be increased to 80 or 100.
A participant took the view that more seats could help to attract the participation of independent individuals in the Legislative Council election. Another participant considered that the newly added seats would only be carved up by political parties.
Some participants opined that whether the number of seats was increased was not important. The most important issue was the quality of the Legislative Council Members.
A participant suggested that given that universal suffrage was the ultimate aim, seats returned by functional constituencies should be reduced gradually. Therefore, he disagreed with the proposal to increase the number of functional constituency seats. A participant pointed out that adding functional constituency seats now but abolishing them in future would aggravate friction within the community.

The Number of Seats Returned by Geographical Constituencies

A participant proposed to divide Hong Kong into 18 constituencies on the basis of the constituencies for the District Councils election. Two seats would be returned by each constituency, totaling 36 seats for the territory. However, a participant disagreed with the proposal.
A participant suggested that seats returned by geographical constituencies should be evenly allocated in accordance with population size.
A participant proposed that there should be only one single geographical constituency for Hong Kong. All Hong Kong people should be allowed to make their own choice for all candidates.
A participant suggested that direct elected seats which were solely for independent candidates be added.

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

Participants generally agreed to review the delineation of the current functional constituencies in accordance with the changes of the society. They suggested new sectors for the logistics industry and religion be added.
Some participants commented that the current election method for functional constituencies was slanted towards members of corporations and chambers of commerce. This was unfair and adversely affected the representativeness of the functional constituencies. Hence, the electorates of the functional constituencies should be suitably expanded.
Some participants took the view that the delineation of the functional constituencies should be clearly defined. Some industries which were unrelated were grouped together under a single constituency. These should be split.
A participant commented that at present, many members returned by functional constituencies only represented the sectoral interests of their respective sectors, rather than the interest of all Hong Kong people.
A participant believed that functional constituencies would continue to serve its purpose before universal suffrage was fully implemented.
Some participants suggested introducing "one person two votes", i.e. voters could freely cast their second vote to any one of the existing functional constituencies in addition to their vote in direct election. This would allow more participation of the Hong Kong people.
A participant proposed that changes be made to the election in the functional constituencies. He suggested that candidates in each functional constituency be nominated by voters in their respective sectors, and then be elected by all Hong Kong people.

Provisions regarding Nationality of Legislative Council Members

The majority of participants agreed that all Members of the Legislative Council should be of Chinese nationality. Expatiates who were born in Hong Kong and ordinarily resident here should also be of Chinese nationality before taking part in election.
A participant proposed to stipulate that a period of seven years be required for a candidate to have renounced his foreign nationality before being allowed to take part in an election. A participant opined that seven years was too long and considered that one year would be sufficient.
Another participant disagreed with the proposal because renouncing foreign nationality was already a strong commitment of a candidate.

Others

A participant commented that the existing size of the geographical constituencies was too large and that only political parties had the necessary resources for the election campaign. The campaigns of independent candidates could hardly be as good as those of political parties because of a lack of resources. This would affect their chances in the election.
A participant considered that an increase in the number of Legislative Council seats might not help independent candidates to win the elections. The Government should assist the independents to participate in the election, for example, by allowing them to campaign on air. A participant proposed to set up funds for independent candidates to apply for election expenses.
A participant suggested that the listing system for direct elections in geographical constituencies be abolished to allow voters to select all Legislative Council Members from all candidates.

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