Letters | Politically apathetic Hong Kong? Voter numbers say otherwise
- Readers discuss political participation in Hong Kong, what the city can learn from Singapore about open banking development, and the downside of online shopping
In his book, The Other Side of the Story, Nury Vittachi argues that most Hong Kong people are apolitical, and he uses low voter turnout as evidence: “Sometimes they register but don’t turn up at the polling station, but mostly they don’t even register.”
I see voting as a civic duty. The simple act of peacefully going to a polling station, marking a ballot paper according to one’s conscience and depositing it in the ballot box, secure in the knowledge that the ballot is secret and therefore free from threats and intimidation, is an essential part of the democratic process. Each voter should carefully study the candidates’ manifestos and past actions and only give their support to a candidate who truly represents what they believe in.
Don’t let anyone suggest that Hong Kong people are indifferent to how they are governed. Let your peaceful, positive action of turning out on polling day show your care, and let the results show the voters’ decision.
Allan Dyer, Wong Chuk Hang