WHEN the Electoral Provisions (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No 2) Bill - the so-called ''easy'' part of the Government's political reform package - is passed by the Legislative Council on February 23, it should pave the way for the September district board election.
The Election and Boundary Commission has recommended that there should be 346 seats to be elected by single-seat, single-vote geographical constituencies, each having an average population of 17,000 people.
Several political parties have said they would field as many as 100 candidates, so the scene is set for an exciting and, it is to be hoped, fiercely contested election.
It is interesting to note the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) has said it would not only contest the district board election, but also the municipal council and Legislative Council elections next year.
The DAB is misleadingly described by the news media as ''pro-Beijing'', a label which implies that it is sympathetic to the views of the Chinese Government. However, many would argue that it is more appropriate to call the DAB the Hong Kong Branch of theChinese Communist Party (CCP).
The news media, and to a certain extent the general public, are nervous about referring to the CCP in public. To some people, the CCP conjures up too many unpleasant memories and thus should be avoided at all costs.
Yet in describing the DAB as ''pro-Beijing'', these people help to perpetuate the myth that the DAB is only sympathetic to, rather than directly related to and controlled by the CCP. I think the time has come to call a spade a spade, especially during election time. After all, no one should be elected under false pretences.