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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
provided six short films on the subject while over fifty cinemas carried cinema slides, and all City District Offices provided window displays.
The third phase, now in progress, will try to persuade all those who have not re-registered and those who are eligible to register for the first time to do so.
All media will be used, but the all-out final appeal, with new publicity material, will take place in the last fortnight.
To-date 22,965 re-registrations out of a possible 37,360 (i.e. the number of persons on the present roll) have been made, and 2,932 new registrations have been recorded, that is 25,897 in all.
I might also point out that the intensive publicity campaign organized on behalf of the Commissioner of Registration by Government Information Services has been very effective inasmuch as there cannot be many persons in Hong Kong who are not aware that this is the time to register as electors. This campaign is the largest of the three previous campaigns and although the percentage of re-registrations and the percentage of registration of new electors is considerably higher than before, the fact remains that the total number of people on the register is very low. These results are very discouraging. They are discouraging because it means that the public are not exercising their rights and that despite very considerable efforts to take the campaign to the people, we are not getting the response that we had hoped to receive. This is the result despite an expenditure on this year's campaign alone of nearly $100,000 and an intensive effort by the Director of Information Services and his staff. He, I know, feels in view of the poor response that further allocations of public funds for similar campaigns in future years might have to be severely limited.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind members of the public that the closing date for re-registration is 30th June and the closing date for new registration, 14th June.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, could I ask the Secretary for Home Affairs whether he could elicit the co-operation of the C.D.O. system whereby it could be made known to the public if any member should wish to seek help in filling out the form for registration, which looks rather cumbersome to the uninitiated, that any C.D.O. would be glad to assist in helping the applicant fill out this form?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS:- I will certainly be quite prepared to do so, but I think the members of the public are aware already of it. They do come to us with a large number of different forms to get assistance.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Could the Secretary for Home Affairs look into this, and if only a few members of the public have approached the C.D.Os. to help in filling up these forms, could a statement be made through his office to let the public know that that assistance is available?
THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS:—Yes.
(Mr. Charles C. C. SIN left the meeting at this point.)
MR. HU: Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your answer. I, of course, agree with whatever you want to say. (Laughter). But, Mr. Chairman, you really did not answer my question, i.e. my question is "Is the Chairman aware that on all posters urging the citizens to register as voters for Urban Council Elections, there is no mention of where to obtain a registration form". Is that correct?
CHAIRMAN: That is correct. As I pointed out in my reply, Mr. Hu, these were for general information to help voters.
MR. HU:- Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have one supplementary to ask. Has the Secretary for Home Affairs or your Department ever analyzed the reasons why the citizens of Hong Kong are so cool to register themselves as voters for the Urban Council Election?
CHAIRMAN:- No, Mr. Hu.
MR. HU: You have not, I do not know whether the Secretary for Home Affairs could answer this question?
THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS:- Certainly they have not during my tenancy.
MR. HU:- Could I have your assurance, Mr. Chairman, to analyze the reasons why they are so cool?
CHAIRMAN: I do not know the reasons, Mr. Hu, but I shall enquire from the people responsible for organizing this campaign.
MR. HU:- Could you give us an assurance that you will look into this matter?
CHAIRMAN:- I gave same, Mr. Hu.
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