District Council of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong
. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau
of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.
After the HKSAR was established, the original District Boards became Provisional District Boards, composed of all the original members of the Boards and some members appointed thereto by the Chief Executive. (The colonial Governor had refrained from appointing any member.)
Later in early 1999 a bill was passed in the Legislative Council providing mainly for the establishment, composition and functions of the District Councils, which would replace the Provisional District Boards. The 27 ex-officio seats of Rural Committees, abolished by the colonial authorities, were reinstated. The government rejected any public survey or referendum on the issue, saying that it had been studying the issue since 1997, and had received 98 favourable submissions. The self-proclaimed pro-democracy camp dubbed the move "a setback to the pace of democracy" because it was a throwback to the colonial era.
District Councils also undertake the following within the respective districts with its available funds allocated by the Government:
In an attempt to inject a democratic element into the Legislative Council, the colonial government introduced a model where some legislators were elected indirectly by District Council members. Twelve legislators were returned by an 'electoral college' of district councillors in 1985. The practice was repeated in 1988 and 1995. In 2010, the government proposed that five legislators be added to District Council functional constituencies, and be elected by proportional representation of elected DC members. In a politically controversial deal between the Democratic Party and the Beijing government, this was changed to allow the five seats to be elected by those members of the general electorate who did not otherwise have a functional constituency vote.
There is a district council for each of the following eighteen districts. The number in parentheses corresponds to the number shown on the map at the right.
Under the district councillor appointment system, 102 district councillors out of 534 are picked by the Chief Executive
. The remainder are democratically elected by voters in each district. In June 2010, the government announced it would make proposals on whether to scrap the system in the next Legco year, from October 2010.
appointed 100 members to the District Council. These included 41 from various political parties, namely the Liberal Party
, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), and the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance
. There were no democrats appointed.
Professor of politics and sociology at Lingnan University
, Dr. Li Pang-kwong said "As in the past, most of the appointees were pro-government or persons without a clear political stance... ensur[ing] that no district council is in the hands of the democrats."
A spokesman for the democrats said the appointees "will have an unfair advantage in that they are getting financial support from the government which will help them run for office in future elections."
named 27 government-appointed Council members.
The Chief Executive was criticised for not appointing a single member of the pan-democrats in either 2003 or 2007.
, said that the problematic framework of the councils, being under the Home Affairs Bureau
, has led them to work too closely with government. He cited the example of the 'copy and paste' Queen's Pier
motions passed by 13 councils to support government decisions as a rubber-stamp, and a clear sign that councils lacked independence. Dr Li recalled that a similar government 'consultation' on universal suffrage
in 2007, where two-thirds of the councils passed a vote in support of its position. After it was revealed that the government was behind the concerted District Councils' motions in 2008 supporting the relocation of Queen's Pier, Albert Ho
condemned the government of tampering with District Councils in order to "create public opinion", and for turning District officers into propagandists.
Districts of Hong Kong
The Districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas by which Hong Kong is geographically divided. Each district has a district council, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule...
. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau is one of the policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Government.One of the important roles of the Home Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public.Tsang Tak-sing has been the...
of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.
History
In 1982, under the governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose, the District Boards were established under the District Administration Scheme. The aim was to improve coordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level.After the HKSAR was established, the original District Boards became Provisional District Boards, composed of all the original members of the Boards and some members appointed thereto by the Chief Executive. (The colonial Governor had refrained from appointing any member.)
Later in early 1999 a bill was passed in the Legislative Council providing mainly for the establishment, composition and functions of the District Councils, which would replace the Provisional District Boards. The 27 ex-officio seats of Rural Committees, abolished by the colonial authorities, were reinstated. The government rejected any public survey or referendum on the issue, saying that it had been studying the issue since 1997, and had received 98 favourable submissions. The self-proclaimed pro-democracy camp dubbed the move "a setback to the pace of democracy" because it was a throwback to the colonial era.
Functions
The councils advise the Government on the following:- matters affecting the well-being of people in the District;
- the provision and use of public facilities and services within the District;
- the adequacy and priorities of Government programmes for the District;
- the use of public funds allocated to the District for local public works and community activities; and
District Councils also undertake the following within the respective districts with its available funds allocated by the Government:
- environmental improvements;
- the promotion of recreational and cultural activities; and
- community activities
In an attempt to inject a democratic element into the Legislative Council, the colonial government introduced a model where some legislators were elected indirectly by District Council members. Twelve legislators were returned by an 'electoral college' of district councillors in 1985. The practice was repeated in 1988 and 1995. In 2010, the government proposed that five legislators be added to District Council functional constituencies, and be elected by proportional representation of elected DC members. In a politically controversial deal between the Democratic Party and the Beijing government, this was changed to allow the five seats to be elected by those members of the general electorate who did not otherwise have a functional constituency vote.
Constituencies
There are a total of 534 District Council members, of which -- 405 are returned by direct election, each from the constituencies in the 18 districts by a "First past the post" system,
- 27 are ex-officio members (當然議員) (Rural CommitteeRural committeeRural committee is a body representing the welfare of indigenous residents in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The chairman of each rural committee is the representative in the Heung Yee Kuk, and is ex-officio member of a district council....
Chairmen in the New Territories), and - 102 are appointed members by the Chief Executive of Hong KongChief Executive of Hong KongThe Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
.
Councils
- Hong Kong IslandHong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
- Central and Western DistrictCentral and Western District CouncilCentral and Western District Council is located in Hong Kong Island. The Council currently consists of 19 members with 15 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election...
(15) - Eastern DistrictEastern District CouncilEastern Council is located in Hong Kong Island. The Council currently consists of 46 members with 37 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election held in 2011.-Members :...
(16) - Southern DistrictSouthern District CouncilSouthern District Council is located in Hong Kong Island. The Council currently consists of 21 members with 17 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(17) - Wan Chai District (18)
- Central and Western District
- KowloonKowloonKowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
(including New KowloonNew KowloonNew Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak...
)- Kowloon City DistrictKowloon City District CouncilKowloon City District Council is located in Kowloon. The Council currently consists of 27 members with 22 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(10) - Kwun Tong DistrictKwun Tong District CouncilKwun Tong District Council is located in Kowloon. The Council currently consists of 42 members with 34 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(11) - Sham Shui Po DistrictSham Shui Po District CouncilSham Shui Po District Council is located in Kowloon. The Council currently consists of 26 members with 21 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(12) - Wong Tai Sin DistrictWong Tai Sin District CouncilWong Tai Sin District Council is located in Kowloon. The Council currently consists of 31 members with 25 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(13) - Yau Tsim Mong DistrictYau Tsim Mong District CouncilYau Tsim Mong District Council is located in Kowloon. The Council currently consists of 20 members with 16 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system and the remainder appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest election was held in...
(14)
- Kowloon City District
- New TerritoriesNew TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
- Islands DistrictIslands District CouncilIslands District Council is located in New Territories consists of a peninsula and 236 islands.. The Council currently consists of 22 members with 10 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system, 8 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong...
(1) - Kwai Tsing DistrictKwai Tsing District CouncilKwai Tsing District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 36 members with 28 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system, one ex officio member and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term...
(2) - North DistrictNorth District CouncilNorth District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 25 members with 16 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 4 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest...
(3) - Sai Kung DistrictSai Kung District CouncilSai Kung District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 30 members with 23 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 2 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The...
(4) - Sha Tin DistrictSha Tin District CouncilSha Tin District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 46 members with 36 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 1 ex officio member and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest...
(5) - Tai Po District Tai Po District CouncilTai Po District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 26 members with 19 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 2 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest...
(6) - Tsuen Wan DistrictTsuen Wan District CouncilTsuen Wan District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 24 members with 17 of those elected quadrennially through a plurality voting system, 2 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The latest...
(7) - Tuen Mun District Tuen Mun District CouncilTuen Mun District Council is the District Council of Tuen Mun District, in the New Territories. The Council consists of 37 members with 29 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 1 ex officio member and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at...
(8) - Yuen Long District Yuen Long District CouncilYuen Long District Council is located in New Territories. The Council currently consists of 42 members with 29 of those elected through first-past the post system every four years, 6 ex officio members and the remainings appointed by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong at the start of a term. The...
(9)
- Islands District
Terms of office
Each term of the District Council lasts for four years. The first term began on 1 January 2000.Under the district councillor appointment system, 102 district councillors out of 534 are picked by the Chief Executive
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
. The remainder are democratically elected by voters in each district. In June 2010, the government announced it would make proposals on whether to scrap the system in the next Legco year, from October 2010.
District council elections, 1999
In 1999, Tung Chee HwaTung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
appointed 100 members to the District Council. These included 41 from various political parties, namely the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Hong Kong)
Liberal Party is a business-friendly liberal conservative political party in Hong Kong.-Party beliefs:The party is known for its conservative and business-friendly policies. Despite being a political party friendly with Beijing, it fits in the centre-right political spectrum...
, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), and the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance
Hong Kong Progressive Alliance
The Hong Kong Progressive Alliance was a political party in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It was established in July 1994, and is composed of mainly businessmen and professionals. The party is considered a pro-business and pro-Beijing one. It...
. There were no democrats appointed.
District council elections, 2003
In 2003, Tung appointed 21 political party appointees to the District Council to dilute the influence of the pan-democrats as follows:- eight members of the Liberal Party
- six members of the DAB
- six members from the Progressive Alliance
- one from the New Century Forum
Professor of politics and sociology at Lingnan University
Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
The Lingnan University is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It was granted full university status on 30 July 1999.The Lingnan University administration believes that it provides students with a quality education distinguished by the best liberal arts tradition from both East and West...
, Dr. Li Pang-kwong said "As in the past, most of the appointees were pro-government or persons without a clear political stance... ensur[ing] that no district council is in the hands of the democrats."
A spokesman for the democrats said the appointees "will have an unfair advantage in that they are getting financial support from the government which will help them run for office in future elections."
District council elections, 2007
In December 2007, Donald TsangDonald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
named 27 government-appointed Council members.
- thirteen members of the Liberal Party
- eleven members of the DAB
- three members from the Federation of Trade Unions
The Chief Executive was criticised for not appointing a single member of the pan-democrats in either 2003 or 2007.
Controversies
Prof. Li Pang-kwong, of Lingnan UniversityLingnan University (Hong Kong)
The Lingnan University is a public liberal arts university in Hong Kong. It was granted full university status on 30 July 1999.The Lingnan University administration believes that it provides students with a quality education distinguished by the best liberal arts tradition from both East and West...
, said that the problematic framework of the councils, being under the Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau
Home Affairs Bureau is one of the policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Government.One of the important roles of the Home Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public.Tsang Tak-sing has been the...
, has led them to work too closely with government. He cited the example of the 'copy and paste' Queen's Pier
Queen's Pier
Queen's Pier, named after Queen Victoria, was a public pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong. For three generations it served not only as a public pier in day-to-day use but also as a major ceremonial arrival and departure point...
motions passed by 13 councils to support government decisions as a rubber-stamp, and a clear sign that councils lacked independence. Dr Li recalled that a similar government 'consultation' on universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
in 2007, where two-thirds of the councils passed a vote in support of its position. After it was revealed that the government was behind the concerted District Councils' motions in 2008 supporting the relocation of Queen's Pier, Albert Ho
Albert Ho
Albert Ho Chun-yan . He is currently secretary general of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China and chairman of the Democratic Party. He is a solicitor and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong....
condemned the government of tampering with District Councils in order to "create public opinion", and for turning District officers into propagandists.
See also
- Politics of Hong KongPolitics of Hong KongPolitics of Hong Kong takes place in a framework of a political system dominated by its constitutional document, the Basic Law of Hong Kong, its own legislature, the Chief Executive as the head of government, and of a multi-party system...
- Districts of Hong KongDistricts of Hong KongThe Districts of Hong Kong are the 18 political areas by which Hong Kong is geographically divided. Each district has a district council, which was formerly known as a district board. The districts were established in the early 1980s, when Hong Kong was under British rule...
- Legislative Council of Hong KongLegislative Council of Hong KongThe Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...