Rise in votes show people back govt actions: FTU

Rise in votes show people back govt actions: FTU

The president of the Federation of Trade Unions, Stanley Ng, said on Monday that an increase in the number of votes his party recorded in the district council elections shows many people support the government's efforts to clamp down on violence in society.



Speaking a day after 57 of the 62 candidates it fielded were defeated, Ng said the pro-Beijing FTU should not be blamed for the rout, saying it was caused by the current political environment.



He said that despite the defeats, the party received an increase in the total number of votes compared to the last district elections four years ago. This is a clear indication that many voters are supportive of the government's commitment to clamp down on violence in society, the FTU chief said.



He described Sunday's elections as "extremely unfair", saying they were held in a very violent and radicalised environment filled with "black terror".



Even though the party has strong grassroots networking and is involved in livelihood issues, it was difficult to turn the tide, he said.



The FTU president said his party will conduct a thorough review of the events and find ways to improve its work.