1968 — Page 111

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN:-This is correct, Dr. BELL.

DR. BELL:-I think it is very important to clear that. May I ask one more supplementary question, Mr. Chairman? In the groups who were sent to register, the age was asked of people, so in other words it is possible for the Registration Officer to find out how many people were under 25. I understand that the age of 25 might be an important age if a voter wishes to be a candidate for future elections. If that is so, could you request that the Registration Officer works out how many people are under the age of 25, and how many are over the age of 25 who might therefore be eligible to be candidates?

CHAIRMAN:-I can ask the Commissioner of Registration to look into this Dr. BELL, but I prefer to wait until it is quite sure that 25 is the age which will be utilized in future.

MR. BERNACCHI: Mr. Chairman, I will ask the question in a slightly different way. I expect the same answer (laughter). You say that some people say that the lack of registration is caused by apathy. Is it apathy? I have myself had four different partially completed regis- tration forms and I am already on the Register, or I think I am—so, do you, Mr. Chairman, know how many different names they were sent to?

CHAIRMAN:-I would need notice of that question.

DR. HUANG-Mr. Chairman, in answer to Mr. Hu's question, you mentioned about the scope of the Urban Council. I wonder if I may ask that, since you are quite satisfied with the present scope of the Urban Council, could you please enlighten me if there is any council in the world, having elected members and appointed members, whose scope is smaller than the one we have here?

CHAIRMAN: --Sorry, this is out of order, as you know, Dr. HUANG.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN:-Mr. Chairman, I think the Commissioner of Registration has put in a tremendous amount of effort in encouraging people to register this year. I would appreciate, Mr. Chairman, if you could request the Commissioner of Registration to take up with Govern- ment the question of automatic registration for the future, and could a copy of the transcript of today's views, which have been expressed in regard to this question be sent to the Commissioner?

CHAIRMAN: You are out of order.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: sending a copy?

Is it the question which is out of order or

CHAIRMAN:-The question.

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MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --In that case, Mr. Chairman, could you clarify

if it is out order to request that a copy of the transcript of today's dis- cussion in relation to this question be sent to the Commissioner of Registration?

CHAIRMAN:-Not at all.

MR. BERNACCHI ---Mr. Chairman, I would like to make a personal statement on this matter and that is that a true Urban Council has less power, not more power, than this Urban Council. In my opinion this Urban Council could better be named City or Municipal Council.

MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, following the example of the Senior Unofficial Member, I would also like to make a personal statement rather than ask you a supplementary question arising from what you've said. It has been my opinion expressed in Select Committee in the past that there should be (a) automatic registration in Hong Kong (b) compulsory voting. This is the rule in many parts of the world nowadays, and I sincerely believe that is the only way of overcoming apathy and attracting people to taking an interest in the administration of their own affairs.

MR. CHEONG-LEEN: --Mr. Chairman, speaking on behalf of the Civic Association Elected Members, we are in favour of automatic registration, but we do not think that the public is quite yet ready for compulsory voting.

MR. HU:-Mr. Chairman, I am very grateful for the statement made by the Appointed Senior Member and the Elected Senior Member and, with regret, I cannot make a personal statement. (Laughter). I'm not senior at all, but what I would like to say, Mr. Chairman, is that I am very grateful, not only for your answering this question, but also for your statement about the scope of the Urban Council. As you know, I am always in favour of enlarging the Council's scope, and I am grateful to the Senior Members, and also to Mr. CHEONG-LEEN, who is also a Senior Member in a certain way (laughter) for suggesting automatic registration. But what I would like to draw attention to, Mr. Chairman, with great respect, is that some people say that those people who have a vote, their interest, their matters, are not within the jurisdiction of the Urban Council. For example, teachers, they can vote but we cannot deal with their matters. While those people living in resettle- ment estates, those people who are hawking, their business is the daily business of the Urban Council but those people cannot vote. Therefore, in the long run, the enthusiasm of voters dies. So, Mr. Chairman, I fight for the enlargement of the scope of the Urban Council, and also I wholeheartedly support the suggestion to have automatic registration. Please try to look into these small points as they can help very much to raise the morale of the voters.

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