Bilingual Editorial: The upcoming District Council elections
雙語社評:免於恐懼方有公平 勿讓暴力危害區選
文章日期:2019年11月22日

雙語社評齊齊聽

[英語 (足本收聽)] Presented by Ms CHAN, Zoe Ka-ling, Lecturer of Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

[普通話 (足本收聽)] Presented by Dr JIAO, Nina, Lecturer of Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

 

The District Council elections will be held next month. Except for the South Horizons West constituency which is still surrounded by some uncertainty, the list of candidates in every district has been confirmed. The upcoming District Council elections will be held amid the anti-amendment storm, and the atmosphere for elections is abnormal. With a cloud of political violence hanging overhead, it is inevitable that campaigning activities will be affected. Still, the government should try to make sure that the elections will be held smoothly as scheduled. For an election to be fair and just, the first thing to do is to ensure "freedom from fear", i.e. that candidates will not refrain from canvassing for votes because of the threat of violence and voters will not be afraid of casting their votes. To Hong Kong, the upcoming District Council elections will be an important test. We hope that all sides of society will pay regard to the city's interests as a whole and let the elections be held in circumstances free of fear and violence.

[ENG audio 1]

There will be intense competition in the upcoming District Council elections. The authorities have received over one thousand nominations, and the number of people who have expressed the intention to stand for election is the highest on record. Not a single constituency has seen the return of a candidate uncontested, something that has never happened before since the handover. There has been concern over whether some candidates will be disqualified from the elections. Some are worried that a wave of disqualifications will add fuel to the flames and further the social turmoil. However, so far only the candidacy of Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Demosistō, has not been confirmed. All the other candidates who have been questioned by a returning officer have had their candidacy confirmed.

[ENG audio 2]

Joshua Wong intends to stand for election in the South Horizons West constituency. The returning officer for the Southern District responsible for the matter has taken sick leave abruptly, and another returning officer has to sit in for her. This has led to quite a lot of discussion. Every move made by the returning officers handling the upcoming District Council elections has been under the spotlight. It is undeniable that they are facing pressure from all sides. However, outsiders know little concerning the situation of the returning officer of the Southern District. At this stage, all kinds of theories are merely political speculation and exaggeration, which might not be fair to those involved.

[ENG audio 3]

The anti-amendment storm has gone on for more than four months. The social atmosphere is tense. Undeniably, it is difficult for the upcoming District Council elections to take place in such extraordinary circumstances. The briefing session for candidates hosted by the Electoral Affairs Committee last night ran for around half an hour before it was cancelled amid the clamour caused by protests by people off the stage. The fact that a briefing session that could not be more ordinary could not take place smoothly makes people inevitably concerned about what will happen when candidates canvass for votes in different districts later. But it has to be said that an election is more capable of reflecting the preference of the public than any kind of opinion poll. The upcoming District Council elections will be the best opportunity for the silent majority to speak out and express their views on the government and the current political situation. The government, protesters, pan-democrats and pro-establishment politicians should all ensure that the elections will be held in a way that is fair and just.

[ENG audio 4]

We hope that all sides will cooperate with each other in a sincere manner to ensure that next month's District Council elections will be free of fear and violence and allow voters to use their sacred votes to make themselves heard loud and clear. It is hoped that the authorities' contingency plan for the District Council elections will be a backup arrangement that remains unused.

[ENG audio 5]

免於恐懼方有公平 勿讓暴力危害區選

區議會選舉下月舉行,除了南區海怡西選區仍有變數,各區參選人名單已獲確認。今次區選在反修例風暴之下舉行,選舉氣氛異於尋常,政治暴力陰霾籠罩,競選活動難免受到影響,然而政府仍應設法爭取選舉如期順利舉行。選舉公平公正,首先要做到「免於恐懼」,不會有候選人因為暴力脅迫不敢拉票,也不會有選民不敢投票。今次區選對香港是一次重要考驗,我們希望各方顧全大局,讓選舉可以在免於恐懼和暴力的情况下進行。

[PTH audio 1]

今次區選競爭激烈,當局共收到逾千份參選提名,報名人數是歷來最高,全港沒有任何一個選區出現自動當選情况,同樣是回歸以來首次。之前外界一直關注參選者「DQ」(取消參選資格)的情况,擔心一旦出現「DQ」潮,可能給亂局火上加油,加劇社會動盪,然而迄今只有香港眾志秘書長黃之鋒參選資格未明,其他收到選舉主任提問的參選人,均獲確認參選資格。

[PTH audio 2]

黃之鋒有意參選的南區海怡西選區,原本負責的南區選舉主任臨時因病休假,要由其他選舉主任暫代其職,惹來不少議論。今次區選,選舉主任一舉一動備受關注,來自各方面的壓力撲面而來,乃是不爭事實,然而有關南區選舉主任的情况,目前外界所知有限,現階段任何說法都是政治揣測和炒作,對當事人亦未必公道。

[PTH audio 3]

反修例風暴持續4個多月,社會氣氛緊繃,今次區選在如此不尋常的背景下舉行,無疑有一定難度。昨晚選管會的候選人簡介會,舉行約半小時,便因為台下有人示威,群情洶湧,被迫腰斬。一場原本尋常不過的簡介會,竟也無法順利舉行,難免令人關注日後各區競選活動全力展開,將會發生什麼樣的場面。不過話說回來,一場選舉比起任何民意調查,更能清晰反映民心所向。下月區選是最佳機會,讓「沉默大多數」發聲,表達他們對政府和時局的看法。無論政府還是示威者、泛民還是建制,均應確保這次選舉公平公正順利舉行。

[PTH audio 4]

我們希望各方可以衷誠合作,確保下月區選是一場免於恐懼和暴力的選舉,讓選民運用手上神聖一票,發出強而有力的呼聲,但願當局提出的區議會選舉應變計劃,最終只是備而不用的安排。

[PTH audio 5]

明報社評2019.10.25