TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1984
5
+IF FROM INDIFFERENCE OR NEGLECT ONLY A FEW REGISTER, ONLY A FEW STAND AS CANDIDATES, ONLY A FEW VOTE IF WE LET THE SITUATION GO BY DEFAULT, WE HAVE ONLY OURSELVES TO BLAME IF IN FUTURE YEARS THE ADVICE GIVEN AND WORK DONE BY DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES IS NOT WHAT WE WISH TO HEAR OR BEAR.
+ THE DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS ARE DIRECT ELECTIONS ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT DIRECT ELECTIONS TO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. DIRECT ELECTIONS TO LEGCO ARE A DISTINCT AND SEPARATE MATTER, NEED TO BE SEPARATELY ARGUED WITH DIFFERENT REASONS.+
ALTHOUGH MR AKERS-JONES APPRECIATED THAT IT WAS NOT ALWAYS EASY FOR PEOPLE TO RELATE A VOTE IN ELECTIONS TO MATTERS AFFECTING THE IR PERSONAL LIVES, HE DID NOT AGREE WITH THE UNIVERSAL TENDENCY OF +LEAVING IT TO THE NEXT MAN+.
THE MORE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE COULD SPEAK WITH THE AUTHORITY OF A PERSON WHO HAD EMERGED FROM AN ELECTION WHICH WAS STRONGLY SUPPORTED AND PARTICIPATED IN BY THE PUBLIC, THE MORE AUTHORITY HE WOULD HAVE.
+
+HOW MUCH BETTER THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN SAY HERE ARE THE DISTRICT BOARDS, THEY SPEAK FOR THE GRASSROOT,'
+HOW MUCH BETTER IF WE IN HONG KONG STAND UP IN THE NEXT ELECTIONS WITH A MILLION PEOPLE VOTING, AND THE REPRESENTATIVES ARE ELECTED AND CAN SPEAK WITH THAT DEGREE OF AUTHORITY, HE SAID.
HE NOTED THAT ALL THE BOARDS WERE ALREADY PERFORMING AN EXTREMELY USEFUL FUNCTION.
+THEY INCREASE AWARENESS OF PUBLIC OFFICERS OF LOCAL NEEDS; THEY HAVE ADDED STRENGTH TO THE VITAL WORK OF CLEANING UP OUR CITY: THEY INCREASE CIVIC PRIDE AND BEGIN TO PUSH BACK THE FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS AS URBAN BLIGHT SETTLES ON THE CITY; THEY INCREASE A SENSE OF INVOLVEMENT AND BELONG ING.
+THEY BRING SENSE OF PURPOSE, UNITY, CONCERN AND ENTHUSIASM, + HE ADDED.
AFTER NEXT YEAR'S ELECTIONS, HE SAID THE MAJORITY OF DB MEMBERS WOULD BE ELECTED, WITH EACH BOARD HAVING AN UNOFFICIAL AS ITS CHAIRMAN.
+THERE WILL BE 19 CHAIRMEN OF DISTRICT BOARDS WALKING THE STREETS OF THE DISTRICTS, FAMILIAR FIGURES, KNOWN TO THE MAN IN THE STREET. THE BOARDS AND THE IR CHAIRMEN WILL SPEAK WITH GREATER AUTHORITY, GREATER INDEPENDENCE.
+MOREOVER THEY WILL BECOME PART OF A PROCESS OF ELECTING MEMBERS TO LEGCO ANNOUNCED IN THE GREEN PAPER.+
PRESSURE
MR AKERS-JONES DESCRIBED AS +NOT TRUE+ CRITICISMS THAT DE MEMBERS WERE IRRESPONSIBLE +POLITICAL ACTIVISTS, GROUPERS, FREE-LUNCHERS+,
/HE POINTED