Transcript of remarks by CS (with video)

Transcript of remarks by CS (with video)
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     Following is a transcript of remarks by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Stephen Lam, at a media session after the Fight Crime Committee meeting in the Central Government Offices, Tamar, today (November 28):

Reporter: In 2006 the Audit Commission already brought to your attention the problem of multiple voters registered at the same address. Yet the same problem has been coming up again. Has the authority including your former bureau done its job if the same problem that has been brought to your attention has been repeated?

Chief Secretary for Administration: Well, I would say that back in 2006, the relevant bureau and the Registration and Electoral Office did a thorough examination of the situation. Firstly, they determined that henceforth, if there were more than seven registered voters for a particular address, the Registration and Electoral Office would follow up and send letters to the voters registered, and ensure that they were properly registered with full particulars at the relevant address.

     Also, following the Public Accounts Committee examination and the Audit Report, the Registration and Electoral Office examined over 80 cases of these multiple registrations in one particular address at that time. Basically they ascertained that most of these cases involved old people’s homes, hostels or villages in the New Territories. At the time they did not find out that there was any evidence of misrepresentation or falsification of registration particulars. But it does not mean that we come to a standstill. Every time after a round of elections, the bureau and the Registration and Electoral Office would re-examine the adequacy of the electoral guidelines and relevant regulations, and they will continue to do so this time round.

     Today, at the Fight Crime Committee meeting, I and other members also emphasised to the Police Commissioner that in Hong Kong we stand by and we value a fair and open election system. We will not accept any vote-rigging. If there were any evidence of such cases, we should enforce the law vigilantly. Thank you very much.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Monday, November 28, 2011
Issued at HKT 18:07

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