XN000022-1994-06-22 — Page 27

DB ELECTION EXPENSES ORDER

* * * * *

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1994

FOLLOWING IS THE

SPEECH BY

AFFAIRS, MR NICHOLAS

NG.

(DISTRICT

BOARDS)

(WEDNESDAY):

ORDER

ON MAXIMUM THE 1994 IN

SECRETARY

SCALE OF LEGISLATIVE

FOR

ELECTION

CONSTITUTIONAL

EXPENSES

COUNCIL TONIGHT

MR PRESIDENT,

OUTSIDE THIS

INCREASE THE ELECTION

$30,000 TO

THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION BOTH INSIDE AND COUNCIL ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSAL TO EXPENSE LIMIT FOR THE 1994 DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS FROM $60,000. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RESTATE AND CLARIFY THE ADMINISTRATION'S POSITION.

LIMITS

INSTITUTIONS,

FIRST, ON PRINCIPLES, IN SETTING THE ELECTION EXPENSE FOR PAST ELECTIONS OF OUR THREE TIERS OF REPRESENTATIVE WE HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED TWO GUIDING PRINCIPLES :

THE

PLACE

RE MUST NOT

SO LOW AS ΤΟ CEILING FIRST, UNREASONABLE RESTRICTION ON ELECTION ACTIVITIES, NOR SO HIGH AS TO DETER LESS WELL-OFF CANDIDATES FROM STANDING.

SECONDLY, THE LIMIT SHOULD PROVIDE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ALL CANDIDATES, IN PARTICULAR, IT MUST NOT BE SO LOW 80 POSITION, THAT NEWCOMERS

DISADVANTAGEOUS ARE PLACED AT A

BACKUP WITH THE BEARING IN MIND THAT, UNLIKE THOSE POLITICAL PARTIES, THEY CANNOT ACHIEVE ANY ECONOMY OF AND HAVE TO SPEND RELATIVELY MORE TO PUBLICISE AND THEMSELVES.

OF SCALE PROMOTE

OVER THE YEARS, THESE TWO PRINCIPLES HAVE HELPED TO ENSURE THAT FOLLOWED THESE WE HAVE THEREFORE OUR ELECTIONS ARE OPEN AND FAIR.

EXPENSES LIMIT FOR THE SAME PRINCIPLES

REVISING THE BLECTION IN

ALSO FORTHCOMING DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS. THEY ARE, I WOULD ARGUE,

CEILING SHOULD BE THE YARDSTICKS AGAINST WHICH ANY OTHER PROPOSED MEASURED.

CEILING, EXPENDITURE

ELECTION

BY

THE IN CALCULATING LET ME NOW TURN TO METHODOLOGY.

IS THE FIRST COMPONENT THREE COMPONENTS ARE INVOLVED.

USED BY THESE

ARE ARE

COMMONLY WHICH ITEMS.

ITEMS CANDIDATES, AS DERIVED FROM RETURNS ON ELECTION EXPENSES SUBMITTED

ARE CLOSELY PAST CANDIDATES, AS WELL AS ASSESSMENT BY OFFICERS WHO

AS CAMPAIGNING ACTIVITIES GROW IN INVOLVED IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS,

ALSO THE

EXPENDITURE COMMON SOPHISTICATION, INCREASES. THUS WE HAVE INCLUDED IN OUR CALCULATION 16 ITEMS, SIX OF WHICH, SUCH AS PUBLIC MEETINGS, IDENTITY CARD FOR CAMPAIGN AGENTS, AND TRAVELLING EXPENSES, ARE NEW ADDITIONS THIS TIME ROUND.

1

VARIETY

OF

ITEMS

THE SECOND COMPONENT IS THE ESTIMATED UNIT COST FOR EACH OF THE EXPENDITURE ITEMS. THE FIGURES WERE ARRIVED AT BY INVITING QUOTATIONS FIVE QUOTATIONS WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH FROM PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPLIERS. ITEM; THE AVERAGE OF THE QUOTATIONS WAS THEN TAKEN AS THE UNIT COST OF THE ITEM.

/THE FINAL