XN000022-1994-09-15 — Page 4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1994

DB ELECTIONS A MILESTONE IN DEVELOPMENT

OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

THE SECRETARY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS, MR NICHOLAS NG, TODAY IN THE COMING (THURSDAY) CALLED ON ALL VOTERS TO CAST THEIR VOTES DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS, WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS "A MILESTONE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG",

IN THE

THE

SPEAKING AT A PO LEUNG KUK CHAIRMEN'S LUNCHEON, MR NG SAID

SIGNIFICANT ELECTIONS, TO BE HELD ON SUNDAY (SEPTEMBER 18), WERE MORE THAN ANY OF THE PREVIOUS FOUR DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS THAT HAD BEEN

SINCE 1982. HELD

BEEN DISREGARDING THE 50 SEATS THAT HAVE

RETURNED UNCONTESTED, THIS TIME A RECORD 707 CANDIDATES WILL BE VYING FOR SEATS ON ELECTION DAY.

296

BE

MR NG SAID THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW-TERM DISTRICT BOARD WOULD ELECTIONS, DIRECT MORE REPRESENTATIVE WITH 346 SEATS RETURNED BY COMPARED WITH 274 SEATS IN 1991.

MILLION

TO

"THE

NUMBER OF VOTERS HAS ALSO INCREASED FROM 1.9 2.5 MILLION. AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME, SOME 100,000 PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 21 HAVE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE ELECTIONS, HE SAID.

MR NG SAID ANOTHER FEATURE OF THE 1994 DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS WHO WOULD WAS THAT THOSE ELECTED WOULD FORM AN ELECTION COMMITTEE, ELECT 10 PEOPLE FROM OPEN CANDIDATURE TO BECOME LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN 1995.

++

FOR

SET

OF

DATE

** 'THERE SHOULD ALSO BE IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS THIS

RESPONSIBLE TIME WITH THE BOUNDARY AND ELECTION COMMISSION THE JOB,

HE SAID, ADDING THAT THE COMMISSION HAD ISSUED A GUIDELINES ON ELECTION ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE FAIRNESS AND HAD TO HANDLED MORE THAN 800 COMPLAINTS FROM CANDIDATES.

MINOR

**THE

FUNDS NEW-TERM

MORE DISTRICT BOARD, WHICH WILL RECEIVE

SUCH AS FROM THE GOVERNMENT, WILL ALSO PERFORM IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS TAKING FULL

FUNDS FOR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES, DISTRICT PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMMES AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES," MR NG SAID.

COMMITTEES

-

"THE DISTRICT BOARDS WILL ALSO MANAGE THE COMMUNITY HALLS BE AUTHORISED TO APPOINT MEMBERS TO DISTRICT BODIES INCLUDING

AND COMMITTEES LIAISON EDUCATION.'

THE ON

PROMOTION OF

AND SCHOOL CIVIC

THE

MATTER WITH THE

NOTING THAT THERE HAS BEEN CONCERN ABOUT THE CONTINUITY OF POLITICAL SYSTEM, MR NG SAID IT WAS EVERYBODY'S HOPE THAT THE COULD FINALLY BE RESOLVED SATISFACTORILY AND IN ACCORDANCE WISH OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.

WOULD

HE SAID RESIDENTS' ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE ELECTIONS DEFINITELY HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON FUTURE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT.

+

HE

'WE SHOULD FIRST BUILD A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR THE REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT SYSTEM WHILE ADOPTING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON THE FUTURE, SAID.

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