2 May 2001
Jabez Lam
Chair Chinese Civil Rights Action Group

A section of the British media recently alleged that the source of the foot and mouth outbreak was Chinese restaurants. This allegation provoked mass protest from the Chinese community. The whole community united and took action. Two demonstrations, one in London and one in Manchester, were held with hundreds of Chinese taking part.

It was such protest action that made the Agricultural Minister, Mr Nick Brown, agree to meet a delegation from the community. After the meeting, Mr Brown issued a statement exonerating Chinese catering and the Chinese community from the foot and mouth allegation. He condemned the racist reporting by the media and agreed to investigate the source of the allegation.

Thereafter the British media also changed its tone from the biased and false reports on and after 27th March, to complete support of the Chinese community. Many suggested that MAFF initiated the allegation to scapegoat the Chinese as a cover for its own incompetence.

This protest not only helped the Chinese community to realise its strength in unity, it also revealed the deeply ingrained racism of British society. It also brought to light the lack of Chinese presence in British politics. Presently there are 3 Chinese councillors in the UK: respectively members of the Green Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Labour Party, but no Chinese Member of Parliament.

Chinese branches of the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Labour Party exist but when the community came under attack over the foot and mouth controversy, none of these Chinese branches stood up to defend the community. This raises the question of how the Chinese community can best defend its rights? How do we ensure our interests are being represented by political parties and politicians? And how can we ensure that the community's interests are not abused again?

In Britain, MPs and Councillors are elected by the 'one person one vote' voting system. The average number of voters in a constituency for electing an MP is around 55,000 to 60,000. For the election of a Councilor in a ward, the number is 4,000 to 6,000. The turnout rate for elections is around 72% for parliamentary elections, and 30% for local elections. In some marginal seats, the winning parliamentary candidate might win a couple of thousand votes; in local elections the margin is often down to a couple of hundred votes.

The Chinese minority is dispersed sparsely throughout UK. Such a demographic means that every constituency or ward is likely to have some Chinese voters. However, the Chinese community in Britain has been apathetic towards politics, evidenced by low voter registration. This attitude is a response to the fact that the interests of the Chinese community have often been ignored. Politicians and political parties often disregard the Chinese because the number of Chinese votes is considered too few to warrant interest. Lack of opportunity and Chinese representation in the British political structure (in parliament and in local councils) also add to the apathy.

The next general election is to be held in June 2001. If all Chinese eligible to vote were to be registered, according to the 1991 census, there would be 115,000 potential Chinese voters distributed over the whole UK. If this potential voting power were registered, it would be significant enough to make political parties and politicians take note, especially in marginal constituencies where a couple of hundred votes from the Chinese community could change the election results. Once the political parties and politicians realise the potential of the Chinese vote, the Chinese community could demand them to take seriously the interests of the community and protect them.

The Chinese Civil Right Action Group calls on every British Chinese over 18 years old to immediately register as a voter. If you have not received the Electoral Register Form, please request it from your Town Hall, or ask the Chinese community centre in your area to request it for you.

Let the full potential of the Chinese community's voting power be used to guarantee the service of the British political system for the Chinese community's interests.