'Our job is to promote vote, not tell people what to do'

Staff reporters

People have the choice whether to cast their ballots in the upcoming district council elections, and all that government officials can do is to step up promotions to let the public know the importance of voting, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki says.

This came after some politicians voiced worries the school holiday on the day following the December 10 polls might dampen the turnout as parents could take their children on vacation outside Hong Kong during the long weekend.

But Chan told Sing Tao Daily, sister paper of The Standard, there is an actual need for the administration to designate December 11 as a school holiday as using some schools as polling and ballot-counting stations hampers normal operations.

But, Chan said, it is an individual's personal choice whether they vote or not.

"The only thing the government can do is to step up the intensity of our promotions."

Most important is whether people have set their mind on voting or not, Chan went on.

"If people do not care about the election they will still travel to the mainland even if there is only one day of holiday, or even if there's no holiday. But if they set their mind on voting they can even cast their ballot after a trip to Shenzhen."

But the government will not be offering free rides to people similar to the ones rolled out during the Legislative Council elections back in 2021.

"We will not adopt similar measures to boost the turnout rate this year as voters usually live near polling stations and do not have to use public transportation to get there," Chan said.

He brushed off claims that rejecting free rides on polling day was to stop people traveling back to the mainland.

"The polling hours are really long," Chan said.

Although he appealed to people to vote as it is their civil right and responsibility, Chan argued that a turnout rate depends on many factors and does not necessarily reflect the efficacy of the electoral system.

"Some people believe a high turnout rate is good, while a low voting rate means the system is bad. I don't agree," he said.

"For example, the turnout rate in the 2019 elections exceeded 71 percent, which was very high, but it led to chaos as no one would agree that the persons elected made up a successful district council."

Chan insisted the district councils elected in 2019 had many problems because most councillors won seats through direct election, meaning they came from a single election method with a low threshold.

"The councillors then had never served the districts and residents did even know their names," he said.

"They were elected by chanting some anti-China slogans only," he said, adding that they failed to serve residents after being elected and turned district councils into political platforms.

Under the new electoral system, a district council will return to its role stated in the Basic Law, which means collecting citizens' opinions and explaining government policies to them.

A district council has to be "depoliticized" with members from various channels, Chan added, and authorities are working on the list of the 179 appointed councillors, which will include capable professionals like doctors and lawyers.

Chan also dismissed concerns over nepotism in elections as some political parties said it was hard to secure nominations from the District Fight Crime Committees, District Fire Safety Committees and Area Committees.

"It will definitely be hard to seek nominations," he agreed, "and members of the three committees have the responsibility of reviewing candidates' stances and political achievements."

He also rejected assumptions the administration is trying to "wipe out" the Democratic Party after it was denied a winning bid in a flower market stall auction.

"I do not agree with 'wipe out' as the Democratic Party is still a legal political party," Chan said.

"But as to why they were disqualified from the auction, the terms [of the auction] stated that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has the right to give no explanation."