Hong Kong makes final push for opposition-free local election, but voters uncertain about race
Hong Kong Free Press
The government’s publicity drive for its first “patriots-only” District Council race entered the final stretch on Saturday with government officials making appearances at a range of activities aimed at boosting turnout.
Residents attending the promotional activities said they would be voting, but some were unsure of the effect of their ballots, while another said she was not familiar with the candidates’ manifestos.
It comes months after officials played down the importance of voter turnout – saying it would not reflect the credibility of the vote. In recent weeks, the government has nevertheless been actively promoting Sunday’s polls.
Chief Executive John Lee, along with the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, and the Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission David Lok, visited a polling station at Heng Fa Chuen on Saturday morning.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung also took part in the publicity drive by playing games with residents and handing out information leaflets at Kowloon Park in Tsim Sha Tsui.
The last time Hongkongers went to the polls to choose their local council members in 2019, around 71 per cent of registered voters turned out to deliver a pro-democracy landslide amid protests that erupted that year over a since-axed extradition bill.
This year, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for semi-official pro-Beijing think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, predicted that turnout could fall below 20 per cent.
In Wan Chai, families flocked to the harbourfront, where the Development Bureau and the Harbourfront Commission had set up Christmas-themed celebrations – and a District Council information booth – as part of the election drive.
‘There’s nothing we can do’
While their daughter played with the Christmas decorations, two parents surnamed Li told HKFP that they knew the celebrations were meant to boost voter turnout, adding that they would cast their ballots on Sunday.
But they said their choices were limited, agreeing with criticism that the overhauled district council polls had dramatically slashed the number of directly elected councillors, and that the expected turnout figures would reflect the credibility of the race.
“That’s true, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Mrs. Li. “I guess we’ll do what we can to choose the most suitable candidate — within the limitations, of course” said Mr. Li.
Under the new system announced this May, the number of seats voted for by the public has been slashed from 452 to 88 – less than one fifth of the total of 470. The remaining seats will be chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees.
The overhauled “patriots-only” race effectively saw opposition parties barred from running, after their members were unable to collect sufficient nominations from the committees.
The couple, who were Central and Western district residents, said they had gone through the manifestos of the contenders for their council, but had never seen them campaigning in person.
They also added that they did not have high hopes for whoever was voted into office. “There isn’t anything specific that I want them to do,” said Mrs. Li. “I just won’t vote for the candidates I don’t like, and hope that the others will do something different. But I’m not even sure if that would make much of a difference.”
Several residents previously told HKFP and the Guardian that they would not be voting, with one saying that none of the candidates had caught their attention, and another saying that Sunday’s polls would be “just a show.”
Meanwhile, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui paid a visit to the Wan Chai promenade, telling reporters that the residents he had spoken to looked forward to voting for their candidates of choice.
“I hope that more residents can vote tomorrow, since this will be a district council under the new system,” he said. “It’s a huge improvement for the community and district-level administration.”
While the game booths and Christmas decorations were popular among families, the stall promoting the District Council elections set up at the far side of the harbourfront event space saw few visitors throughout the day, according to an HKFP reporter’s observations.
Paid exhibits at the city’s Science Museum, Space Museum, and Museum of Art were also opened – for free – to the public as part of the election promotions on Saturday.
According to local media, some visitors said they were satisfied with the promotional arrangements, saying that the schemes would help to get the vote out. Others, however, said their reluctance to vote had not been swayed by the poster campaigns and the activities on the eve of the election.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau confirmed earlier that the authorities had spent more than HK$100 million – the amount spent to publicise the 2021 election – on this year’s publicity drive.
‘Civic responsibility’
Later on Saturday night, a gala concert was held at the West Kowloon Cultural District after some 4,000 free tickets were distributed to residents. The concert, also held to promote the district council polls, was jointly broadcast by seven stations: TVB, ViuTV, HOY TV, Phoenix Satellite Television, RTHK, Metro Broadcast, and Commercial Radio.
While festivities went on in the form of a pyrotechnics display and a drone show at the West Kowloon waterfront, Emily, who left the concert about an hour into the performances, told HKFP she would be voting on Sunday.
“Order has been brought out of chaos,” she added. “Now, our community needs people who will do the work.”
The Ap Lei Chau resident said she agreed with the government that voting was a “civic responsibility,” but when asked if she had read the candidates’ manifestos, she said she would do so “tomorrow” – the day of the election.
“There are candidates from lots of different parties; we know what they’ve done behind the scenes,” she said, regarding critiques of the overhauled race.
She said she wanted the elected councillors to improve public hygiene in the district – adding that she was a nurse – and to provide more support for elders, citing Hong Kong’s ageing population.
“For young people, I’d want them to have more opportunities and avenues for development, not just in terms of their studies.”
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