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FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 1985
+AND THE BOARD HAS DEVOTED MUCH EFFORT TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, FOR EXAMPLE THROUGH SPONSORED DISTRICT NEWSPAPERS, MEET-THE-PUBLIC SCHEME' FOR PEOPLE TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS AND COMPLAINTS ON LOCAL MATTERS TO DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS, AND CONSULTATIONS THROUGH AREA COMMITTEES AND OTHER LOCAL ORGANISATIONS, MR VICKERS SAID.
IN ADDITION, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD PUBLICISED THE DISTRICT BOARD SYSTEM IN GENERAL THROUGH VARIOUS CHANNELS, INCLUDING TELEVISION.
DR VICKERS WAS COMMENTING ON THE REPORT OF A SURVEY RECENTLY CONDUCTED BY A +COMMITTEE TO SURVEY THE OPINIONS OF SHAU KEI WAN VILLAGERS TOWARDS THE DISTRICT BOARD+.
HE SAID THAT THOUGH THE SURVEY ITSELF WAS CONDUCTED SCIENTIFICALLY AND WAS VERY INTERESTING AND USEFUL, ITS FINDINGS WERE OPEN TO ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS.
REFERRING TO REMARKS IN THE REPORT THAT THERE WAS A SERIOUS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE DISTRICT BOARD AND THE PUBLIC, HE POINTED OUT THAT SURVEYS DONE IN THE UK AND USA SHOWED AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE PROPORTION OF THE ELECTORATE NOT EVEN KNOWING THE NAMES OF PARTY LEADERS, LET ALONE THEIR POLICIES, WHICH WERE MORE IMPORTANT.
+SO IN MANY COUNTRIES WITH A LONGER EXPERIENCE OF ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, A SIMILAR SURVEY AS THIS MIGHT PRODUCE A SIMILAR RESULT AS REGARDS KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNAL DETAILS OF THE LOCAL BOARD.+
HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THOUGH PUBLICITY AND IMAGE WERE IMPORTANT, WHAT HAD BEEN ACHIEVED AND DONE BY THE BOARD WAS MORE SO,
+ACCOUNTABILITY UNDER THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM LIES IN THE VOTE ITSELF, HE SAID, AND ONE COULD NOT CONCLUDE THAT MERELY BECAUSE 95 PER CENT OF THE INTERVIEWEES HAD NOT APPROACHED THE DB MEMBERS, THERE WAS DEFINITELY A LACK OF COMMUNICATION.
+BESIDES, MANY PROBLEMS MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESOLVED, BY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND OTHERS, WITHOUT RECOURSE TO THE DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS.+
HE SAID ALSO THAT, ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY, MANY MORE PEOPLE HAD SHOWN INTEREST IN THE FORTHCOMING DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS THAN THE FIRST TIME, WHICH REFLECTED AN INCREASING INTEREST AND FAITH IN THE NEW DISTRICT BOARD SYSTEM.
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