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Governor: I hope that we'll have more people voting in Hong Kong today than in the last Municipal Councils elections. Traditionally what's happened is that the turn-out rate in the Municipal Councils elections has been lower than for the District Board elections, and the situation is likely complicated this time as well by two factors. First of all by the fact that we got a record number of candidates for the Municipal Councils elections. Secondly that the voter registration is at a record level. So in order to have the same percentage turnout, you need to have a lot more people voting. In the District Board elections, we did have a lot more people voted, a record number of voters in District Board elections. It will be interesting to see how today's turnout for the Municipal Councils election compares with the 393,000 people who voted in 1991. But as I said, I hope that as many people as possible will exercise their right to vote.
Question: There is a criticism that about the Municipal Election has become politicised. What is your comment on that?
Governor: I think that the elections for Municipal Councils inevitably everywhere in the world have some politics about them. After all, the councils are talking about very important services and the expenditure of large amounts of money. And whether that's political with small "p" or a large "P", there is an element of politics about it. But I think that the electorate are sensible enough to choose the right men and women for the important job that needs to be done, and I am sure that they will weigh in the balance both the overall approach of the parties to which candidates belong if they do belong to parties rather than are independent, and will also weigh the individual qualities and the record of service to the community of the individual candidates.
Question: Up to now are you satisfied with the voting rate?
Governor: Up to now, the voting rate is higher than it was in the Municipal Councils elections in 1991. So I am reasonably pleased about that. But we obviously won't be able to get a better picture until much later in the day. I think historically it's been the case that the period of most rapid voting is in the early evening. All I would say is that I hope people will remember that this is an important day for the Government of Hong Kong and an important day for the provision of a lot of the services that people take most for granted. So I hope that they will turn out and express their views on the way Municipal Councils should be run. Okay?
End/Sunday, March 5, 1995