Universities offer help with public referendums
Researchers will assist any politicians or groups who want to test the public mood on a chosen topic - but applicants bear the cost
Hongkongers may soon get a chance to make their voices heard on contentious issues like national security legislation and political reform, in a new project from two local universities.
The University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University have put the call out to any groups or politicians who want to hold a public referendum on a particular topic.
The researchers welcomed any submissions on suggested topics, but applicants whose ideas were chosen must bear all operational costs of the public vote, said Robert Chung Ting-yiu, director of the HKU public opinion programme.
"We will not consider the political background of the group when vetting applications," Chung said. "We will kick-start our voting system if they think our PopVote Civil Referendum can help them gauge the public's opinions and if we find the topic appropriate."
HKU launched the project jointly with PolyU's Centre for Social Policy Studies yesterday, citing the lack of a statutory referendum system in the city.
The initiative came 10 months after some 220,000 people picked their ideal chief executive in a mock ballot in March, ahead of the real election and in the absence of universal suffrage. That citywide exercise was conducted by the public opinion programme.