XN000022-1995-09-15 — Page 5

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The meeting's Joint Ministers/Private Sector session provided a useful opportunity for ministers to exchange views with private sector representatives on how to tackle problems and challenges faced by SMEs and to facilitate the further development of SMEs.

The SME ministers endorsed a program of actions in a number of areas, namely human resources development, information access, technology and technology sharing, financing and market access. This Action Program will be presented to APEC Ministers and Economic Leaders.

At the end of the meeting, the SME ministers issued a Joint Statement reaffirming the role and importance of SMEs and the proposed SMEs Action Program which will be submitted to the APEC economic leaders for endorsement in November.

End/Friday, September 15, 1995

SCA urges voters to cast their vote on Sunday

The Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Nicholas Ng, today (Friday) urged registered voters to turn up at the polling station near their home on Sunday (September 17) to cast their vote in the elections, which will return Hong Kong's first fully-elected Legislative Council.

"This time we have a record number of 2.57 million registered voters, of whom 1.15 million are also voters for the functional constituencies. We also have a record number of 138 candidates for the geographical, functional and Election Committee elections," he said.

"The voting procedures are simple and easy. Most voters, including those who are eligible to cast more than one vote, will only need to visit a polling station once."

Speaking at a luncheon meeting of Po Leung Kuk's Board of Directors, Mr Ng said the elections would be conducted in a fair and open manner to safeguard the credibility of the Legislative Council they returned.

"To achieve this end, the electorate has been expanded by lowering the voting age and introducing nine new functional constituencies, which give all working persons a second vote. The number of voters in the old functional constituencies has also increased," he said.