WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1982
TOMORROW IS ELECTION DAY IN NT
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+TOMORROW'S ELECTIONS WILL COMPLETE THE PROCESS OF PEOPLE SELECTING THEIR REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE DISTRICT BOARDS. THE SECRETARY FOR CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS THE WAY PEOPLE HAD PRESENTED THEMSELVES OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS WITH THE PRESS AND ON THE RADIO WHICH WOULD INFLUENCE VOTERS.
+PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR PEOPLE THEY KNOW AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE STANDING FOR ELECTION ARE VERY WELL-KNOWN IN THEIR DISTRICT,+ HE SAID.
MOST CANDIDATES HAD FOCUSED ON THE PROBLEMS WHICH WERE AFFECTING PEOPLE AND THEIR OWN LIVES, SUCH AS TRANSPORT AND SCHOOLS.
MR AKERS-JONES POINTED OUT THAT ELECTORS WHO HAD NOT RECEIVED POLL CARDS SHOULD NOT BE DETERRED FROM VOTING. THEY SHOULD PRODUCE THEIR IDENTITY CARDS OR DRIVING LICENCES INSTEAD, HE SAID.
MR AKERS-JONES SAID HE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY INDEED+ IF 30 PER CENT OF REGISTERED VOTERS WENT TO THE POLLS IN TOMORROW'S DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS.
MR AKERS-JONES, WHO WAS SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, SAID IT WAS, HOWEVER, DIFFICULT TO MAKE ANY ESTIMATE OF VOTER TURNOUT.
HE SAID IN DISTRICTS SUCH AS NORTH AND YUEN LONG IN PARTICULAR THE TURNOUT WOULD BE HEAVY AND THE ELECTIONS VERY KEENLY CONTESTED.
+BUT PERHAPS IN MORE DENSELY POPULATED AREAS LIKE KWA I CHUNG, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TO GO TO WORK, THE TURNOUT COULD BE LESS THAN IN THE COUNTRY DISTRICTS, HE SAID.
+1 COULD NOT PREDICT THE OVERALL PERCENTAGE, BUT IF WE GET SOMETHING LIKE 30 PER CENT OF REGISTERED VOTERS, WHICH WOULD BE 60 000 PEOPLE, I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY INDEED. ANYTHING OVER 30 PER CENT WOULD BE VERY SATISFACTORY.+
THE REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR IAN MACPHERSON, SAID AN OPINION SURVEY WAS INDICATING A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE SAYING THEY WOULD VOTE AND ONE RECENT SURVEY HAD GIVEN A FIGURE OF 48 PER CENT.
+THIS WOULD BE A VERY, VERY ENCOURAGING RESULT, +
MR MACPHERSON SAID.
MR AKERS-JONES SAID INTEREST IN THE ELECTION WAS HIGHEST IN NORTH DISTRICT AND YUEN LONG, ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF VOTERS IN THESE CONSTITUENCIES MIGHT NOT BE SO MANY AS IN KWAI CHUNG.
THE DEPUTY TO MA AXERS-JONES IN CHARGE OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR ALBERT LAM. SAID ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE CANDIDATES WERE INDIGENOUS NEW TERRITORIES PEOPLE.
/MA AKERS-JONES