The British Chinese Register to Vote (The BC Register to Vote) campaign reaches out to London Chinatown on Sunday 13th April 2008 from 12noon to 4pm.

About 30% of the British Chinese community, often referred to as the ‘silent minority’, are not on the UK electoral register. In a bid to reverse voter apathy within the community ‘BC Register to Vote’ is being organised by Get Active UK, a working title that encompasses all the activities run by The Integration of British Chinese into Politics (the BC Project) and its various partners.

The campaign wishes to highlight the low awareness of politics among the British Chinese community; to encourage those eligible to vote but not on the electoral register to get registered; to help people make a real difference on issues affecting themselves and their communities on a daily basis by getting their voices heard through voting.

With the strong support of the House of Lords, House of Commons and Ministers, the event will be attended by various Chinese community groups and MPs. Volunteers from the BC Project and friends will be at the Pagoda in Newport Place, London Chinatown between 12noon and 4pm to help people through the registration process and answer queries.

For further information, please contact

Mei Wong
 The BC Project – Get Active UK
 171 Wardour Street
 London W1F 8WS

Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Mobile: 07775638613

www.getactive.uk.com
www.bcproject.org.uk

 

Comments

Add New Search RSS

Chit Chong - Getting the Vote out Posted 11:25 on 14 April 2008 I very much hope that the BC project is successful in registering Chinese on to the electoral role. Being a politician, I am grateful for all the votes that the Green Party and I can get. I even if people are voting for me only because I am Chinese. I would of course prefer it if they were voting because they believed in the Green Party and what we say about how people should live in harmony with each other and equally importantly, about the quality of the planet we leave our children and grand children. This is something that is especially relevant to Chinese as we have such a strong sense of duty to ensure the success and well-being of our children, which sadly is so damaged by the damage that we have done to the environment. My own political beliefs aside, I strongly believe that it is very important that Chinese people play a full role in the community, not only by voting but also by taking leadership roles in the community and in political parties. After all, the Chinese are here to stay in Britain, so why should be talking on this website about only a Chinese MP in Westminster, when there could be a Chinese Prime Minister, just like there was a Japanese President, Fujimoro, in Argentina? For that to happen, Chinese people and especially Chinese parents need to talk not just in terms of financial and professional success but of community and political success for members of their community and their children. In addition to doing our civic duty to society in general there are major rewards of doing do to the Chinese community. Speaking from experience, when I was a councillor in Hackney, I was only one of two in London. We ended up supporting Chinese people on many issues, including ensuring that they were fairly treated by the criminal justice system when they were subject to racist attacks. If representation were to be by the number of Chinese in London, it would have been 16 Councillors instead of two. A more telling example of the need for Chinese participation in politics is the discrimination many Chinese communities are subject to around the world. In Malaysia, for example, it was only full participation in politics in the recent elections there, which is giving the Malaysian Chinese the hope that the future there for them will improve. Fortunately our position in Britain is much better, but to keep it so, we must engage in politics. That means voting and being part of political parties, especially in the Green Party. Chit Chong Green Party Speaker for Future Generations and London Assembly List Candidate. Reply | Quote

pensggs Posted 10:39 on 15 April 2008 I read this article with interest. Possibly in London and Manchester, it is 'productive' to actively participate in the voting process. However, our present voting system excludes minority votes. This is the reason all ethnic minority political representatives are excluded from the political decision making process. Per Chit Chong's comment on Malaysia, which operates a 'positive discrimination policy' in the favour of the Malays. This was a legacy handed down by the colonial government in 1957, which guanranteed the 'positive discrimination policy for the ethnic Malays in civil service, arm forces and in education. This was because the economic power base was in the hands of the Chinese minority at the time. The question today one should ask is 'Did this positive discrimination allowed and forwarded a fairer society? ' Did this positive discrimination brought about a more harmonious society?' 'Did this positive discrimination allowed the ethnic Malays to catch up and participate fully in the economic life of the country whereby they are the majority? Did this positive discrimination allowed the 'nuturing' of a generation of rural ethnic Malays with a wider vision of peace and political stability? Or did this positive discriminative raise a generation of 'dependants' whereby this generation expects to be dependent on hand-outs? One observation is that in Malaysia, it would appear that this positive discrimination brought about a more stable society, unlike in Indonesia. Making a statement about any country's political system without due analysis is most unfair and irresponsible. Participation in the democratice political system is necessary and a prerequisite if one wishes to criticise the political system of our own country. However, I do look forward to a system of representative democratic system allowing the active participation of the minority in uk Reply | Quote

Write comment
Name:
Subject:
	-color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge
Security Code: Type the code in the image (helps prevent spam)