Chinese  Translation  Follows  Below
Political(Reform(2017(Proposal(
!
Professor!Simon!N.M.!Young!
Faculty!of!Law,!The!University!of!Hong!Kong!
March!2015!
(I) Composition and Formation Method of the Nominating Committee 1
Subsectors
(i) the NC shall be composed in accordance with the 38 subsectors in four sectors of the existing EC. On such basis, whether the subsectors of the NC should follow the relevant arrangements of the existing EC and remain unchanged, so as to forge an early consensus; or
1.
No,!there!should!be!changes.!
(ii) provided that there is sufficient support, introduce new subsectors in the NC to increase the representativeness of those groups which are not sufficiently represented in the existing 38 subsectors;
2.
A! new! subsector! for! “StartIUps! and! Young! Entrepreneurs”! should! be! added! to!
the!First!Sector.!
3.
A! new! subsector! for! “Other! Licensed! Professionals”! should! be! added! to! the!
Second! Sector.! ! For! example,! registered! veterinary! surgeons! are! currently!
excluded!for!no!good!reason.!!A!systematic!search!for!other!currently!excluded!
licenced!professionals!should!be!done.!
4.
Two! new! subsectors! should! be! added! to! the! Third! Sector:! “Social! Enterprises”!
and!“Women,!Young!People,!the!Elderly”.!
5.
A!new!subsector!titled!“District!Councils!(Other)”!should!be!added!to!the!Fourth!
Sector.!!As!a!parallel!to!the!District!Council!(Second)!functional!constitutency,!all!
registered! individual! electors! who! do! not! already! have! a! vote! in! Election!
Committee! elections! should! be! entitled! to! return! elected! District! Council!
members!to!this!subsector.!
Number of members of each subsector
(iii) if the number of subsectors is not to be increased, whether the number of members in each subsector of the NC should follow the number of members in each subsector of the existing EC and remain unchanged; or
6.
The!number!of!subsectors!should!be!increased!as!submitted!above.!
1 The text in bold (Times New Roman 12) is taken from Chapter 7 of HKSAR Government, 2017 Seize the
Opportunity: Method for Selecting the Chief Executive by University Suffrage Consultation Document , January
2015, and used here to provide structure to this submission.
1

(iv) if new subsectors are to be added, how should the distribution of seats in the existing subsectors be adjusted; and
7.
A! new! distribution! of! seats! for! new! and! existing! subsectors! should! follow! that!
shown!in!Table!1!below!(proposed!changes!are!highlighted!in!bold).!!!
(
Table(1:(Proposed(New(Allocation(of(Seats(to(Subsectors(
Sector!
Subsector!
NC(2016( EC!2011! EC!2006!
!
!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!
!!First!Sector!
!!
!!
Catering!
Commercial!(First)!
Commercial!(Second)!
Employers'!Federation!of!Hong!Kong!
Finance!
Financial!Services!
Hong!Kong!Chinese!Enterprises!Association!
Hotel!
Import!and!Export!
Industrial!(First)!
Industrial!(Second)!
Insurance!
!
!!
!
!!
!!
!!
!!
(
Real!Estate!and!Construction!
Textile!and!Garment!
Tourism!
Transport!
Wholesale!and!Retail!
StartAUps(and(Young(Entrepreneurs(
!!
!!
Second!Sector!
Accountancy!
!!
!!
Architecture,!Surveying,!Planning!
Chinese!Medicine!
Education!
Engineering!
Health!Services!
Higher!Education!
Information!Technology!
Legal!
Medical!
(
Other(Licensed(Professionals(
(
18!
18!
n/a!
!
18!
18!
18!
30!
30!
30!
30!
30!
30!
30!
n/a!
!
30!
30!
30!
16!
18!
18!
16!
17!
18!
18!
17!
18!
18!
18!
18!
12!
12!
n/a!
!
12!
12!
12!
20!
20!
20!
20!
20!
20!
20!
n/a!
!
20!
20!
20!
11!
12!
12!
11!
11!
12!
12!
11!
12!
12!
12!
12!
27(
27(
27(
28(
27(
27(
28(
27(
27(
28(
27(
17(
17(
16(
(
17(
17(
17(
16(
17(
17(
15(
16(
17(
17(
16(
17(
17(
17(
17(
2

!
!
!
!!
!!
!!
!
!
!
!
!!Third!Sector!
!!
!
!
!
Fourth!Sector!
!!
Agriculture!and!Fisheries!
Labour!
Religious!
Social!Welfare!
Sports,!Performing!Arts,!Culture!and!Publication!
Social(Enterprises(
Women,(Young(People,(the(Elderly(
!!
National!People's!Congress!
Legislative!Council!
Chinese!People's!Political!Consultative!Conference!
Heung!Yee!Kuk!
Hong!Kong!and!Kowloon!District!Councils!!
!! New!Territories!District!Councils!!
District(Councils((Other)(
!
Total!
43(
43(
1,200!
(
54(
(
36(
70(
54(
54(
54(
45(
20(
43(
30(
54(
54(
60!
n/a!
1,200!
!
60!
60!
n/a!
n/a!
!!
36!
70!
51!
26!
57!
60!
60!
60!
40!
40!
n/a!
n/a!
!!
36!
60!
41!
21!
21!
21!
n/a!
800!
!
40!
40!
40!
Electorate base
(v) the electorate base of all subsectors should remain unchanged; or
8.
No,!there!should!be!changes.!
(vi) make appropriate adjustments to the electorate base of certain subsectors, provided that there is sufficient support and that such adjustments are practical and practicable,
!
are conducive to electing persons who could genuinely represent respective subsectors, and that the wishes of such subsectors are respected.
9.
Votes! given! to! (corporate)! bodies! under! the! EC! system! should! be! transferred!
entirely! to! individuals.! ! In! general,! in! the! case! of! incorporated! bodies,! the! vote!
should!be!given!to!a!fixed!number!of!individual!directors!and!officers!of!the!body.!!
In!the!case!of!unincorporated!bodies,!the!vote!should!be!given!to!a!fixed!number!
of!members!of!the!executive!committee!of!the!respective!body!or!to!the!entire!
membership!of!the!body.!
!
10.
The!electorate!of!the!new!subsector!“StartIUps!and!Young!Entrepreneurs”!should!
comprise!of!a!fixed!number!of!directors!and!officers!(or!sole!proprietors)!of!startI
up!companies!where!the!average!age!of!such!persons!is!40!years!or!less.!
11.
The! electorate! of! the! new! subsector! “Other! Licensed! Professionals”! should!
comprise! of! the! licensed! members! of! specific! professions! that! do! not! already!
enjoy! voting! rights! in! the! Election! Committee.! ! One! example! is! registered!
3

veterinary! surgeons.! ! Another! example! is! professionals! licensed! under! the!
Securities!and!Futures!Ordinance!(Cap!571).!
!
12.
The! electorate! of! the! new! subsector! “Social! Enterprises”! should! comprise! of!
social! enterprises! (“a! business! to! achieve! specific! social! objectives”),! such! as!
those! which! as! a! matter! of! public! policy! the! Hong! Kong! Government! has! been!
promoting!and!supporting!(see!
www.socialIenterprises.gov.hk
).!
!
13.
The!electorate!of!the!new!subsector!“Women,!Young!People,!the!Elderly”!should!
comprise! of! a! fixed! number! of! executive! committee! members! of! bodies! who!
promote!the!interests!of!women,!persons!under!18!years!of!age,!and!persons!65!
years!or!above.!!
!
14.
The!electorate!of!the!new!subsector,!“District!Councils!(Other)”,!should!comprise!
all! individual! voters! (registered! for! geographical! constituencies)! who! are! not!
already!registered!as!an!Election!Committee!elector.!!Only!elected!District!Council!
members! may! stand! for! election! in! this! subsector! (and! only! if! they! are! not!
standing!for!election!in!the!other!two!District!Council!subsectors).!
(II) Procedures for the Nominating Committee to Nominate Chief Executive Candidates
Stages of nomination and threshold
(i) whether the nominating procedures of the NC shall be divided into two stages, namely the stage of “members recommendation” and the stage of “committee nomination”;
15.
Yes,!there!should!be!two!stages!to!the!nominating!procedures.!
(ii) if the nominating procedures are to be divided into two stages, considering that the existing arrangement of named nominations jointly by 150 members of the EC is simple, easy to understand and has been proved to be effective, whether persons who have obtained recommendation from 150 NC members shall be allowed to seek nomination at the stage of “members recommendation”; or whether the requirement be appropriately lowered to 100 NC members;
16.
A!qualified!person!who!obtains!100!recommendations!from!NC!members!should!
be! allowed! to! pass! the! first! stage! of! “members! recommendation”! and! seek!
nomination!at!the!second!stage.!
(iii) at present, CE candidates may be nominated by EC members, and each EC member may nominate only one candidate, but there is no limit to the number of nominations a candidate could receive. To provide sufficient choices for the NC to consider, whether there should be a limit for recommendations, i.e., each NC member shall only recommend one person who seeks nomination; and depending on whether the recommendation threshold is 100 or 150, whether there should be a cap on the recommendation each person seeking nomination could obtain;
17.
There!should!be!a!cap!that!prohibits!CE!candidate!from!obtaining!more!than!100!
recommendations!from!NC!members!at!the!first!stage.!
4

Transparency of the nominating procedure
(iv) since the NC will act as an institution when exercising its power to nominate CE candidates, whether there is a need to convene any plenary meeting of the NC so as to conduct nomination of candidates, and to provide an appropriate platform for persons seeking nomination to have equal and adequate opportunities to explain their manifestoes and missions to all the members of the NC or even the public in order to seek their support;
18.
Yes,! the! procedures! should! guarantee! a! fair! and! open! process! that! informs! the!
public! of! the! potential! candidates’! platforms/views! and! allows! the! public! to!
scrutinise!the!nomination!process.!
Specific nominating procedures
(v) whether the number of CE candidates could be either two or three, i.e., the three persons seeking nomination and obtain the highest number of endorsement of more than half of all the NC members could formally become candidates; if only two of the persons seeking nomination could obtain endorsement of more than half of all the NC members, such two persons will formally become candidates, and there will be no nomination of a third candidate;
19.
Yes!this!proposal!is!acceptable.!
(vi) the existing EC adopts a secret ballot in electing the CE-elect. If the NC adopts the method of voting to nominate CE candidates, whether open or secret ballot should be adopted;
20.
The!NC!should!continue!the!EC’s!method!of!secret!ballot.!
(vii) to facilitate the NC to nominate at least two but no more than three candidates who are able to obtain endorsement of more than half of all the members of the NC from the persons seeking nomination, whether the NC should adopt the “one person, three votes”, “one person, two to three votes”, “one person, maximum three votes”, “voting on each person seeking nomination”, or other procedures to select two to three candidates; and
21.
A!separate!vote!should!be!done!on!each!person!seeking!nomination!to!determine!
if!he!or!she!has!majority!support!of!the!NC!members.!
(viii) how to handle the situation if no person seeking nomination can obtain endorsement of more than half of all the NC members, or only one such person is able to obtain endorsement of more than half of all the NC members.
22.
A! single! vote! (in! which! each! NC! member! can! cast! up! to! three! votes)! should! be!
conducted.!!If!the!vote!still!does!not!return!two!or!three!candidates!with!majority!
support!of!NC!members,!the!single!vote!is!repeated!but!only!after!the!individual!
with!the!least!number!of!votes!is!eliminated.!!This!procedure!is!repeated!until!two!
or!three!candidates!are!properly!nominated.!
5

(III) Voting Arrangements for Selecting the Chief Executive by Universal Suffrage
When the CE is elected by universal suffrage, all eligible electors of Hong Kong could elect the CE-elect by “one person, one vote” from the two to three candidates nominated by the NC. We may consider the following voting arrangements:
(i) to adopt the voting arrangement commonly adopted in other public elections, i.e., the
“first-past-the-post” system, only a single round of voting will be held; or
(ii) to adopt a two-round voting system, i.e., if no candidate could obtain more than half of the total number of valid votes in the first round voting, the two candidates with the highest number of votes would proceed to the second round voting, and the candidate with the highest number of votes in the second round would be returned; or
!
!
!
(iii) to adopt other voting systems, such as the instant runoff system or supplementary vote system.
23.
There! should! be! a! minimum! voter! turnout! rule! that! requires! at! least! 40%! of! all!
registered! voters! to! cast! a! valid! vote! in! the! election! of! the! Chief! Executive! by!
universal!suffrage.!!If!the!minimum!turnout!rate!is!not!met,!then!the!nomination!
and!election!processes!must!be!repeated.!
!
24.
Voters!should!be!allowed!an!option!to!vote!for!“none!of!the!above!candidates”!
and!such!votes!should!be!treated!as!a!valid!vote!in!the!election.!
25.
To!be!elected!Chief!Executive,!a!candidate!must!have!more!than!50%!support!of!all!
valid!votes!cast.!!If!in!an!election!of!three!candidates,!no!candidate!has!more!than!
50%! support,! a! second! round! of! voting! shall! take! place! between! only! the! two!
candidates! with! the! most! votes.! ! In! this! second! round,! the! winning! candidate!
must!still!obtain!more!than!50%!support!of!all!the!valid!votes!cast.!
26.
If!it!is!not!possible!to!return!a!validly!elected!Chief!Executive!because!none!of!the!
candidates! have! obtained! more! than! 50%! support! from! all! the! votes! cast! (even!
after!two!rounds!of!voting),!then!the!nomination!and!election!processes!must!be!
repeated.!
27.
Where!the!nomination!and!election!processes!need!to!be!repeated,!the!serving!
Chief! Executive! and! Administration! shall! remain! in! office! until! a! validly! elected!
Chief! Executive! has! been! returned! and! appointed.! ! Article! 46! of! the! Basic! Law!
may!need!to!be!interpreted!(or!amended!if!necessary)!to!allow!this!to!happen.!!!
(IV) Other Related Issues for the Selection of the Chief Executive by Universal Suffrage
We suggest considering whether the term of office of the NC shall follow the existing arrangement of the EC, i.e., a five-year tenure; or the term of office of the NC shall terminate upon the swearing in of the CE it has nominated.
28.
The!term!of!office!of!the!NC!should!follow!the!existing!arrangement!of!the!EC.!
6

In considering the re-election arrangements if the CE-elect returned by universal suffrage were not appointed by the CPG, we suggest that the existing Chief Executive
Election Ordinance (“CEEO”) should include provisions for a re-election in such circumstances.
29.
Yes! the! CEEO! should! be! amended! to! enable! a! reIelection! where! the! CEIelect!
returned! by! universal! suffrage! is! not! appointed! by! the! Central! Peoples!
Government.! ! In! this! situation,! the! serving! Chief! Executive! and! Administration!
shall!remain!in!office!until!a!validly!elected!Chief!Executive!has!been!returned!and!
appointed.!!Article!46!of!the!Basic!Law!may!need!to!be!interpreted!(or!amended!if!
necessary)!to!allow!this!to!happen.!
For the political affiliation of the CE, since there is currently no law on political parties in Hong Kong, and different sectors of the community have yet to arrive at a clear consensus on the subject, we suggest that, for the CE election in 2017, the requirement under the existing CEEO that the CE should not have any political affiliation should be maintained.
30.
No,!the!requirement!under!the!existing!CEEO!that!precludes!the!CE!from!having!
any!political!affiliation!should!be!removed.!
!
For!further!reading,!see!articles!and!other!writings!available!at!
http://hk.linkedin.com/pub/simonInImIyoung/91/995/932 .!
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