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AFC newsletter(9)
Group VotingSystem Violates the Principle of Equity
In the RTHK programme “City Forum” last Sunday , a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Liu Meng Xiong said, "The past two Presidents in Kyrgyzstan are popularly elected, but they are also corrupt and kill their citizens brutally”. (See Hong Kong Economic Journal, p.14, 19.4.2010)
National People’s Congress deputy Maria Tam, who is also an suggested that the package proposed by the Government serves the best interests of Hong Kong, she listed four reasons, including the increase of the number of seats of the Legislative Council by 10 seats, which would widen the spaces of political participation, as nearly 60% of the 70 seats would be elected through the means of direct or nearly indirectly elected. Hence, they can veto any unpopular bill of the Government; six seats from the new functional seats elected from among the elected members of the District Councils, which can improve the ”splitting voting mechanism” that is often criticized by the pan democratic camp. (See Oriental Daily News, p. A27, 19.4.2010)
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam pointed out that the 2012 reform package is making real democratic process, and after the additional ten seats in the legislature be elected, there are five seats are voted directly by the people, the other five seats will be elected by District Council members through the means of "proportional representation". Hence the democratic basis could be expanded in order to broaden and enhance the democratic elements. (See Ta Kung Pao, p. A8, 19.4.2010)
We believe that the critique from the CPPCC member Liu Meng Xiong on the electoral system through the means of universal suffrage to be unsubstantiated. His accusations on universal suffrage is distorting facts, and what he said is not in keeping with decorum,
We believe that the increase in the functional constituencies is not what as Secretary Lam and Ms Tam referred to as a step to move forward regarding the constitution development of Hong Kong. The current proposal from the Government is a step backward for democratic development in Hong Kong. To achieve the realization of the political reform package containing a set of substantial program in putting forward the democratic process in Hong Kong, we call for the Government to immediately put forward a timetable for the total abolition of functional constituencies, rather than finding excuses to continue to strengthen the role and composition of functional constituencies.
There are a large number of voters are not "human beings/people" but identified as companies and organizations in the functional constituency elections such as the Hong Kong United Arts Entertainment Co. Ltd. and Min Kau Ching Association in the Sports, Performing arts and culture sector, Agriculture and Fisheries organizations such as the Po Toi Fishermen's Association and the Tsing Yi Island Residents Association. Out of the 28 functional constituencies, 18 of them have the both the representation companies and organization votes, of which 10 sectors merely possess companies and organizations voters, such as tourism and the transport sector; while the voters in the labor sector are all represented by trade unions rather than individual "wage earners."
Through their subsidiary, the large enterprises and groups, voters could have more influence in different functional constituency votes through registered as voters in the same or different functional constituencies. For example, a large scale conglomerate concurrently running real estate, transport, tourism, retail business could create a number of companies in these various sectors and registered in different functional constituencies in order to increase their influence in the elections.The existence of organization voters and the registration in different sectors under the same umbrella organization, hence create a situation of "vote rigging".Although this is not illegal, but if one company can "disguise" in many different companies, and register in different sectors in one sector or in different sectors. It is manifestly contradictory to the principles of equity of "one man, one vote", or "one voter, one vote".
This has raised a question in whether the group voter system often cause confusion in our political system, however, the rationale of their existence has never been clearly established.