香港近期的政治事件表明，12月10日區議會選舉已經拉開序幕，包括重新劃分選區、民主黨宣布推薦8人參與區議會選舉、民建聯公開建議縮短選舉日投票時間，以及民政事務總署近日發出指引，要求地區關愛隊在選舉中保持中立、不得動用關愛隊資源參與與選舉相關活動。
新選區規模較大 接觸選民有難度
7月11日，區議會地方選區分界說明及分界圖上載至選舉管理委員會網站。第7屆區議會共有470個議席，其中179個議席為委任議員； 176 名由地區委員會界別（分區委員會、地區撲滅罪行委員會及地區防火委員會委員）選出；27名鄉事委員會當然委員；88名將從地區直選選出。44個地方選區各選出2名區議員。根據政府7月11日發布的新聞稿，44個地方選區如下：（1）中西區2名；（2）灣仔區1名；（3）東區3名；（4）南區2名；（5）油尖旺區3名；（6）深水埗區2名；（7）九龍城區2名；（8）黃大仙區2名；（9）觀塘區4名；（10）荃灣區2名；（11）屯門區3名；（12）元朗區4名；（13）北區2名；（14）大埔區2名；（15）西貢區3名；（16）沙田區4名；（17）葵青區3名；（18）離島區1名。
劃定這些選區分界的意義是顯而易見的。首先，新的選區將比以往大得多；其次，由於選區規模較大，沒有政黨和團體支持的參選人，在接觸選民方面可能會遇到一些困難；第三，鑑於2022年立法會選舉的投票率相對較低，為30.2%（135萬選民），2023年12月的區議會選舉能否提高選民投票率仍有待觀察，特別是一些選民可能已移民並離開香港。第四，在中西區、深水埗區、觀塘區、葵青區等民主派過去表現較好的選區，建制派和民主派參選人的表現如何，仍有待觀察。
民主黨欲爭取「自由派」提名
9月20日，民主黨召開記者會，透露將推薦8人參加12月的區議會選舉。然而，8人的名字沒有公布，因為這樣做會在選戰開始之前過早地牽涉選舉費用。民主黨主席羅健熙表示，8名現任及前任區議員將在10月30日前決定是否參選。 2021年底，民主黨沒有派出任何候選人參加立法會直選。
根據新的選舉規則，競選地方選區的參選人必須獲得3個地區委員會（分區委員會、地區撲滅罪行委員會及地區防火委員會委員）各50名選民和9名提名人的簽名提名。羅健熙表示，民主黨參選人將爭取一些「自由派」委員會成員提名，並呼籲政府透露如何聯繫這些委員會成員。不過，政府表示以隱私為由不會這麼做。 民主黨參選人如何從3個分區委員會獲得足夠的提名還有待觀察。
9月23日，一家親北京的報紙發表評論，批評民主黨過去要求外國「干預」香港事務、在2022年6月30日發表《香港回歸25周年立場書》、「附和」美國政客「攻擊」香港改革選舉制度。（《文匯報》，2023年9月23日，A15 頁）。
民主黨過去曾6次嘗試舉辦籌款晚宴，包括2022年7月、2023年2月3次、2023年9月2次。但由於各種原因未能成功，包括3家食肆由於突然的維修工作或其他未知的理由，臨時取消提供場地。
民主黨在2022年6月30日發表的《香港回歸25周年立場書》批評香港的政治新局勢，指政府對市民缺乏信任，或許會被當局視為不友好。若此猜測屬實，3個地區委員會的一些「自由派」成員是否願意提名並支持民主黨候選人，還有待觀察。
民主黨推薦的人即使能夠獲得3個地區委員會和50名參選選區選民的足夠提名，但是否都能獲得由行政長官擔任主席的候選人資格審查委員會（CERC）的批准，仍有待觀察。畢竟，候選人資格審查委員會的決定不得提起訴訟，不受司法覆核。
不過，如果民主黨推薦的人是現任區議員，那麼在《香港國安法》頒布後，他們確實經歷了宣誓儀式的程序。如果是這樣，他們獲得候選人資格審查委員會批准的機會可能會較高，但他們面臨的挑戰是先獲得足夠的提名。
民主黨宣布有意參加區議會選舉後，不少網民在網上發表了自己的看法，但意見不一，有的人對民主黨冷嘲熱諷，有的人則支持民主黨成為建制的一部分。整體而言，快速瀏覽網民對民主黨意圖的反應，他們似乎對民主黨的政治態度負面多於正面。
關愛隊被要求保持政治中立
9月19日，民建聯召開記者會，呼籲當局將投票時間縮短至上午8點至下午6點，即10個小時。民建聯並要求政府在與內地連接的香港一側設口岸投票站，以便在內地居住和工作的港人能夠投票。民建聯也呼籲政府研究電子投票的可能性，以方便居住在大灣區的港人可以輕鬆投票。
當局是否會接受民建聯提出的所有建議，還有待觀察，但電子投票的準備和實施確實需要時間。
9月23日，據報道，民政事務總署已向地區關愛隊成員發出指引，要求關愛隊在公共選舉中保持政治中立。指引規定，關愛隊成員不得支持任何候選人參加選舉，關愛隊成員如欲參加選舉相關活動，應向關愛隊及民政事務總署作出書面聲明，並停止參與關愛隊相關工作。此外，關愛隊成員若參加區議會選舉，均不得動用關愛隊的資源。
顯然，政府對關愛隊一些成員的政治中立性感到擔憂，這些關愛隊是在新冠疫情爆發期間成立的，旨在幫助和支持18個地區基層和有需要的人。
有傳媒透露，關愛隊的許多成員隸屬於建制派政黨和團體。如果真是這樣，他們的政治中立性已經受到傳媒質疑。因此，政府的指引相信能夠約束那些有政治抱負的關愛隊成員，確保特區選舉能夠在所有候選人之間公平競爭。
選舉序幕已經拉開
總的來說，最近發生的事情，預示2023年12月區議會選舉拉開了序幕。2019年區議會選舉被當局視為被許多反政府、反中亂港分子騎劫。區議會地方選區重新劃界，意味着在選區範圍較大的情況下，無黨派背景的候選人是否能夠輕鬆接觸選民，更不用說有可能出現相對較低的得票率。投票率是否與上次立法會直選相同，仍有待觀察。簡而言之，2023年12月的區議會選舉將如何公平地舉行，不僅包括選民，還包括來自不同政治傾向的候選人的政治熱情，尚有待觀察。
另一方面，民主黨重新參加即將舉行的區議會選舉的意圖十分明確，然而，該黨2022年6月30日發表的《香港回歸25周年立場書》，似乎成為一些親北京人士的眼中釘。使這個問題更加複雜的是，非建制派參選人在獲得足夠的提名以進入候選人資格審查委員會的篩選過程中將遇到困難。雖然民主黨的政敵民建聯建議政府縮短投票時間，以及設口岸投票區方便大灣區港人投票，但這些想法是否會被接受還是未知之數。
最後，政府重視維持關愛隊成員的政治中立性，這些團隊應該是一個中立的角色，幫助各區基層和有需要的人，而不是讓有政治企圖心的人利用作政治機器。整體而言，如果2023年12月區議會選舉的序幕已經展開，未來3個月將見證更多政治上令人興奮的事態發展，特別是一些政治精英已經公開向各區普羅市民散發有關其所屬政黨和團體工作的傳單。
Prelude to the Hong Kong District Council Elections in December 2023
Recent political events in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region （HKSAR） have shown that a prelude to the December 10th District Council elections has already been opened, including the redrawing of the boundaries of the geographical constituencies, the announcement of the Democratic Party （DP） on its intention to field eight candidates to run in the elections, the public appeal of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong （DAB） to shorten the duration of voting on the election day, and the revelation of a guideline issued by the Home Affairs Department to prevent some members of the district-based care teams from conducting election campaign activities.
On July 11, the maps of the delineation of District Council （DC） geographical constituencies were uploaded onto the website of the Electoral Affairs Commission. Of the total 470 seats for the seventh term DCs, 179 seats will be appointed members; 176 will be returned from District Committees （Area Committees, Fight Crime Committees, Fire Prevention Committees）; 27 will be returned as ex-officio members from rural committees; and 88 will be returned from geographical constituencies. Each of the 44 geographical constituencies will elect 2 DC members. The 44 geographical constituencies, according to the government’s press release on July 11, will be as follows: （1） 2 from Central and Western District; （2） 1 from Wan Chai District; （3） 3 from Eastern District; （4） 2 from Southern District; （5） 3 from Yau Tsim Mong District; （6） 2 from Sham Shui Po District; （7） 2 from Kowloon City District; （8） 2 from Wong Tai Sin; （9） 4 from Kwun Tong District; （10） 2 from Tsuen Wan District; （11） 3 from Tuen Mun District; （12） 4 from Yuen Long District; （13） 2 from North District; （14） 2 from Tai Po District; （15） 3 from Sai Kung District; （16） 4 from Sha Tin District; （17） 3 from Kwai Tsing District; and （18） 1 from Island District.
The significance of drawing these new boundaries is obvious. First, the new geographical constituencies will be much larger than the situation in the past. Second, given the fact that the constituencies are large, candidates who participate without the support of political parties and groups will likely have some difficulties in reaching out to the voters. Third, given the relatively low voting turnout of 30.2 percent （1.35 million voters） in the 2022 Legislative Council elections, it remains to be seen whether the December 2023 DC elections will be able to boost the voter turnout, particularly if some voters might emigrate and leave the HKSAR. Fourth, it remains to be seen how the pro-establishment and pro-democracy candidates will perform in some constituencies where the democrats traditionally performed well, such as Central and Western District, Sham Shui Po District, Kwun Tong District and Kwai Tsing District.
On September 20, the Democratic Party held a press conference to reveal that it would nominate eight candidates to participate in the December DC elections. However, it did not unveil their names because doing so would trigger electoral expenses prematurely well before the campaign period. Chairman Lo Kin-hei said that the eight are incumbent DC members and they will decide before October 30 on whether they will really run for the elections. In late 2021, the DP did not field any candidate to participate in the Legislative Council direct elections.
Under the new electoral rules, candidates running for geographical constituencies will have to get the signed nominations from 50 voters and 9 nominators out of each of the three District Committees （Area Committees, Fight Crime Committees and Fire Prevention Committees）. Lo Kin-hei said that DP candidates would strive to get the nominations from some “liberal” committee members, and he appealed to the government to disclose how these committee members can be contacted. However, the government said that it would not do so on the grounds of privacy. It remains to be seen how the DP candidates would acquire enough nominations from the three District Committees.
On September 23, a pro-Beijing newspaper carried a commentary criticizing the DP of seeking “foreign influence” on the HKSAR in the past, of issuing a politically provocative platform on June 30, 2022, and of “attacking” the electoral system of the HKSAR （Wen Wei Po, September 23, 2023, p. A15）.
The DP tried to hold fund-raising dinner six times in the past, including July 2022, three times in February 2023, and twice in September 2023. But it failed to do so for a variety of reasons,including three restaurants declining to hold the events due to sudden repair work or other unknown factors.
It looks as if the DP’s platform on June 30, 2022, which was critical of the new political situation in the HKSAR, might alienate some authorities. If this speculation turns out to be true, it remains to be seen whether some “liberal” members of the three District Committees would be willing to nominate and support candidates from the DP.
After all, even if the DP candidates can secure sufficient nominations from the three Committees and 50 voters, it remains to be seen whether they will all be approved by the Candidates’ Eligibility Review Committee （CERC）, which is chaired by the Chief Executive to vet the candidates who try to run for elections, and whose decisions will not be subject to judicial review.
However, if the DP candidates are the incumbent DC members, then they did go through the processes of the swearing-in ceremony after the promulgation of the national security law. If so, their chances of being approved by the CERC would likely be high, but their challenge is to get enough nominations in the first place.
Once the DP announces its intention of participating in the DC elections, many netizens expressed their views on the Internet, but their views were divided, ranging from being cynical of the party to supportive of its decision to become part of the establishment. Overall, a quick glance of the netizens’ responses to DP intention was that they appeared to be more politically negative than positive toward the party.
On September 19, the DAB held a press conference and it called for the electoral authorities to shorten the voting time to 10 hours between 8 am and 6 pm. It also asked the government to set up voting booths along the Hong Kong side of the border with the mainland so that those Hong Kong people who reside in and work in the mainland will be able to cast their ballots. The pro-Beijing patriotic party also calls for the government to study the possibility of implementing electronic voting and to facilitate Hong Kong residents who live in the Greater Bay Area to vote easily.
It remains to be seen whether the election authorities will accept all the recommendations made by the DAB, but surely electronic voting takes time for preparation and implementation.
On September 23, it is reported that the Home Affairs Department （HAD） has issued a guideline for the members of the district-based care teams, asking the teams to be politically neutral in public elections. The guideline says that no member of the teams should support any candidate in electoral participation, and that any member who wants to be a candidate in elections should make a written declaration to his or her teams and to the HAD. Moreover, any member of the care team who would participate in DC election must not mobilize the resources of the team concerned.
Obviously, the government is concerned about the political neutrality of some members of the care teams, which were established during the outbreak of Covid-19 to help and support the poor and the needy in 18 districts.
Some media have already revealed that many members of care teams are affiliated with pro-establishment parties and groups. If so, their political neutrality has already been questioned by the media. As such, the government’s guidelines can and will hopefully rein in the politically aspiring members, ensuring that the DC elections will witness a fair play among all the candidates.
In conclusion, recent events have pointed to the opening of a prelude to the District Council elections in December 2023. The 2019 DC elections were seen by the authorities as being captured by many elements who were anti-government and anti-mainland. The revamp and redrawing of the boundaries of the District Council elections mean that, with larger geographical constituencies, it remains to be seen whether candidates without party background can and will reach out easily to voters, not to mention the possibility of witnessing a relatively low voting turnout as with the last legislative direct elections. In short, it remains to be seen how the December 2023 DC elections will be held fairly with the element of political enthusiasm on the part of not only voters but also candidates from different political orientations. The intention of the Democratic Party to re-participate in the forthcoming District Council elections is clear. Nevertheless, its platform on June 30, 2022, appeared to be a thorn in the eyes of some people in the pro-Beijing sector. Compounding this problem is that difficulties encountered by non-establishment candidates to acquire enough nominations to get into the round of being screened by the Candidates Eligibility Review Committee. While the DAB, the DP’s political opponent, has lobbied the government to reduce the voting hours and facilitate the Hong Kong residents in the Greater Bay Area to cast their ballots, it remains to be seen whether these ideas would be accepted. Finally, the government is keen to maintain the political neutrality of the members of the care teams, which are supposed to be a neutral actor helping the poor and the needy in all districts rather than becoming a political machinery utilized by politically ambitious politicians. Overall, if the prelude to the December 2023 District Council elections has begun, the coming three months are going to witness more politically exciting developments, particularly since some political elites have already openly distributed their leaflets to ordinary citizens on the work of their affiliated groups and parties in various districts.
原刊於澳門新聞通訊社（MNA）網站，本社獲作者授權轉載。原文網址：https://www.macaubusiness.com/opinion-prelude-to-the-hong-kong-district-council-elections-in-december-2023/
