MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1984
PEOPLE URGED TO SIGN UP AS VOTERS
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THE SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR DAVID AKERS- JONES, TODAY (MONDAY) CALLED ON EVERY ELIGIBLE PERSON TO SIGN UP AND VOTE IN THE COMING DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS.
+THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS HONG KONG'S INTERESTS AT HEART TO VISIBLY DEMONSTRATE HIS SUPPORT AND CONCERN FOR THE WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITY.
+THE SIMPLEST WAY OF DOING SO IS TO REGISTER AND TO VOTE,+ HE SAID.
MR AKERS-JONES WAS SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE MARK ING THE START OF THE VOTER REGISTRATION PERIOD WHICH OFFICIALLY OPENS ON WEDNESDAY (AUGUST 15) AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL OCTOBER 1.
ALSO PRESENT AT THE CONFERENCE WERE THE ACTING REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR PETER NG, THE ACTING DEPUTY REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, MR LUI HAU-TUEN: THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE REGISTRATION AND ELECTORAL OFFICE, MR LEE LAP-SUN; AND THE PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY (GENERAL) OF THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MR LEUNG CHIN-MAN.
ANYONE WHO IS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AND WHO HAS LIVED IN HONG KONG FOR SEVEN YEARS OR MORE IS ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER AS AN ELECTOR.
REGISTRATION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE FROM ALL DISTRICT OFF ICES, POST OFFICES, IMMIGRATION OFFICES, PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATE OFFICES, AND SOME 400 BRANCHES OF THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK ING CORPORATION AND THE HANG SENG BANK.
THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 7 NEXT YEAR. IT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THAT ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.
MR AKERS-JONES NOTED THAT JUST OVER ONE MILLION OF THE 2.9 MILLION PEOPLE ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER HAD ALREADY DONE SO. ABOUT 150 000 OF THEM PUT DOWN THE IR NAMES DURING THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
MR AKERS-JONES DESCRIBED THIS AS AN +ENCOURAGING START+ BUT URGED THOSE WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED YET NOT TO WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT,
HE WAS CONFIDENT OF A STRONG RESPONSE FROM POTENTIAL VOTERS.
PEOPLE WERE NOW MORE AWARE OF THE IR RESPONSIBILITY AS CITIZENS, AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS HAD MORE THAN PROVED THE IR METTLE IN THE SHORT SPAN OF THE IR EXISTENCE, HE SAID.
/+THE SERIOUSNESS