People power at work in voting hours U-turn
When the proposed rules for District Council elections were released for public consultation in April they were destined to be ignored.
At that time, Hong Kong was in the grip of the Sars outbreak. People were more interested in safeguarding their health than contemplating arrangements for polls that would not take place for months. It is a sign of just how much things have changed since then that the Electoral Affairs Commission felt compelled yesterday to do a U-turn on one of its more controversial proposals. The decision to scrap plans to close the polling stations three hours earlier than usual was largely due to public pressure. This reform, which went almost unnoticed in April, suddenly prompted strong opposition when the final guidelines for November's elections were announced on Monday.
During the month-long consultation exercise, about 200 submissions were received and 60 per cent favoured shortening the polling hours. But since Monday, almost the same number of people have spontaneously conveyed their opposition to the plan.
Even if the public concerns are put aside, the decision to abandon the move is a good one. Closing the polling stations at 7.30pm was intended to save money, speed up the announcement of results, and limit disruption to people living nearby. It would have achieved all these things. But as the Democratic Party pointed out when the idea was first floated last September, such a move was also likely to prevent many people from getting to a polling station. In practice, it could impose a restriction on the right to vote.
It is true that such voting hours exist in other parts of the world. But here in Hong Kong the working day can be long, even on a Sunday when the elections will take place. And a significant proportion of electors prefer to vote after eating their dinner. In the last District Council polls in 1999, more than 180,000 people voted in the three hours before the stations closed at 10.30pm.
There are reasons for believing the cut would have hit the Democrats hard as their supporters tend to vote later in the day. But this is not an issue that should be decided on party political grounds. The government has expended much money and effort on encouraging people to register as voters and the number eligible is now at a record high. A substantial turnout would be an indication of Hong Kong's growing political maturity. It would have been unfortunate if people had been deterred by a cut in voting hours.
The disappearance of Sars is not the only change that has taken place since April. Interest in elections - and politics generally - appears to have been boosted by the mass demonstration on July 1. The opposition to cuts in polling hours provides further evidence of this trend.
Whether concerned with national security laws, bans on pets in public housing, reclamation of the harbour or rules that restrict the ability to vote, people power is alive and well.
