TNAG-1451-FCO40-1955-Hong-Kong-Regional-Council-Ordinance-and-elections-1986 — Page 149

'HK PEOPLE REALISING THEY HAVE A VOICE'

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THE LARGE NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO TURNED UP IN TODAY'S ELECTIONS SHOWED THAT THERE WAS AN INCREASING INTEREST AND PARTICIPATION BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG IN GOVERNMENT MATTERS, REALISING THAT THEY HAD A VOICE, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERU-JONES, SAID THIS

THURSDAY) EVENING.

IN

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS WHEN TOURING THE PRESS CENTRE

SIR DAVID CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION HEADQUARTERS, NOTED THAT THE SLOGAN FOR LAST YEAR'S ELECTIONS WAS +A VOICE IS A VOTE+.

+ I THINK THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE REALISING THAT THEY DO HAVE A VOICE, HE SAID.

SIR DAVID SAID THE ELECTIONS HAD BEEN GOING ON BETTER THAN WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED, NOTING THAT ONE SHOULD NOT LOOK AT THE PERCENTAGE OF VOTER TURNOUT, BUT THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT AND VOTED TODAY.

HE RECALLED THAT ONLY ABOUT 8 000 VOTERS CAST THE IR VOTES DURING THE URBAN COUNCIL ELECTIONS SEVERAL YEARS AGO. BUT SO FAK,

!T ABOUT TWO HOURS BEFORE POLLING CLOSED, MORE THAN 200 000 EOPLE HAD CAST THEIR BALLOTS IN TODAY'S ELECTIONS.

+SO THIS IS A TREMENDOUS CHANGE FROM THE PATTERN OF THE PAST. AND THAT IS, I THINK, WHAT ONE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT RATHER THAN THE

13, PERCENTAGE,+ HE SAID.

* SIF DAVID SAID THAT THERE HAD BEEN VERY EN INTEREST IN SOME DISTRICTS AMONG THE VOTERS, NOTING THAT MORE THAN 30 PER CENT OF THE VOTERS IN THESE AREAS HAD COME OUT TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS.

AS ELECTIONS WERE COMPARATIVELY NEW IN HONG KONG, SIR DAVI. SAID SO FAR HE WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS.

VOTER TURNOUT EXPECTED TO PICK UP - CS

THE CHIEF DECRETARY SIM DAVID AKERS-LONES, SAID THE

FAR IN TODAY'S URBAN COUNCIL AND REGIONAL

PAD BEEN EXTREMELY ENCOURAGING AND THAT HE

CENT THE ELECTORATE WOULD CAST THEIR

ECT