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The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:
The 32 principals of 37 primary schools and kindergartens run by Po Leung Kuk were warned by the Electoral Affairs Commission for breaching its Guidelines governing electioneering activities involving young pupils.
They were found having used their pupils as conduits to distribute an appeal letter to their parents soliciting votes for Mr Mak Kwai-po, a candidate of the Election Committee subsector elections held on July 9.
"The Commission strongly objects to principals and anybody in authority making use of young pupils under their charge to conduct electioneering activities. We hope that this message can be driven home loud and clear," a spokesman for the Commission said.
The Commission received several complaints after the elections about electioneering activities in some Po Leung Kuk schools breaching electoral rules.
Investigations revealed that the 32 principals of 37 Po Leung Kuk primary schools and kindergartens had distributed stereotyped letters through their pupils to their parents enlisting support for Mr Mak.
In their representations to the Commission, they stated that they had not deliberately violated electoral rules and some made the point that the letters had been issued in their personal capacity.
Notwithstanding their explanations, the Commission ruled that they had violated paragraph 12.4 of Chapter 12 of the Guidelines on Election-related Activities in respect of the 2000 Legislative Council Elections.
In May this year, the Commission sent Chapter 12 of the Guidelines to all the primary schools concerned.
Paragraph 12.4 states, "Distribution of election advertisements is a form of electioneering activity. There may be school supervisors, principals or teachers who may support a particular candidate or list of candidate(s) in a geographical constituency (GC). While they are free to support any candidate or any such list of candidate(s) (GC list) they prefer, they should not distribute or help distribution of election advertisements of any candidate or GC list to the parents of pre-primary, primary or secondary pupils using the pupils as conduits. Moreover, they must not ask such pupils to request their parents to vote for any particular candidate or GC list."
"The purpose of the Guidelines is to prevent anyone in authority in a school from using his position to exert undue influence on the pupils in his charge and to enlist them to participate in any electioneering activity," the spokesman said.
In another complaint case, the principal of the afternoon session of Po Leung Kuk Vicwood K.T. Chong No. 2 Primary School, Mr Chan Yuk-fai, was warned on August 4 for using his pupils as conduits to distribute election advertisements of Mr Mak to their parents.
The 16 principals of 17 primary schools and the 16 principals of 20 kindergartens being warned today are set out below:
Primary school
Principal
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Po Leung Kuk C.F.A. No.1 Primary School Lo Lai Har
Po Leung Kuk Vicwood K.T. Chong No.2
Primary School (A.M.) Dung Kwong Ping
Po Leung Kuk Mrs. Chan Nam Chong
Memorial Primary School (A.M.) Lau Siu Ling
Po Leung Kuk Mrs. Chan Nam Chong
Memorial Primary School (P.M.) Lau Siu Ling
Po Leung Kuk Siu Hon Sum Primary School Ng Chun Ping
Po Leung Kuk Chan Yat Primary
School (A.M.) Yan Yuen Yee
Po Leung Kuk Chan Yat Primary
School (P.M.) Ng Kit Ying
Po Leung Kuk Chee Jing Yin Primary
School (A.M.) Tang Chok Ping
Po Leung Kuk Chee Jing Yin Primary
School (P.M.) Tam Sheung Yue
Po Leung Kuk Fong Wong Kam Chuen Primary
School (A.M.) Chan Kam Chau
Po Leung Kuk Fong Wong Kam Chuen Primary
School (P.M.) Lo Suk Yu
Ex-Po Leung Kuk Chong Kee Ting Primary
School (A.M.) Yeung Veng Meng
Ex-Po Leung Kuk Chong Kee Ting Primary
School (P.M.) Wong Sang Ming
Po Leung Kuk Tin Ka Ping Primary
School (A.M.) Shiu Che Ying
Po Leung Kuk Camoes Tan Siu Lin Primary
School Yuen Lo Kam Lai
Po Leung Kuk Fung Ching Memorial Primary
School Lam Heung Sing
Po Leung Kuk Wong Wing Shu Primary
School Tsang Bik Har
Kindergarten Principal
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Po Leung Kuk Chong Shui Kit Kindergarten Fok Siu Fung
Po Leung Kuk Ng Tor Tai Kindergarten Lee Wai Ling
Po Leung Kuk Kam Hing Kindergarten Lee Wai Ling
Po Leung Kuk Tin Ka Ping Siu Hong
Kindergarten Chan Lai Foon
Po Leung Kuk Tong Chor Nam Kindergarten Chan Lai Foon
Po Leung Kuk Tang Bik Wan Memorial
Kindergarten Chung Siu Mei
Po Lueng Kuk Tin Ka Ping Kindergarten Wan Kam Fong
Po Leung Kuk Fung Leung Kit Memorial
Kindergarten Tam Mei Ying
Po Leung Kuk Yick Chark Fung Kindergarten Lau Wai Kuen
Po Leung Kuk Mrs. Chao King Lin
Kindergarten Leung Yiu Yuk
Po Leung Kuk Tai So Shiu Wan Kindergarten Leung Yiu Yuk
Po Leung Kuk Ting Mau Kindergarten Suen Wai Ha
Po Leung Kuk Cheung Poon Mei Yee
Kindergarten Suen Wai Ha
Po Leung Kuk Yick Kwai Fong Kindergarten Wong Yuk Ying
Po Leung Kuk Mrs. Vicwood Chong Kee Ting
Kindergarten So Sau Chin
Po Leung Kuk Chan Seng Yee Kindergarten Hui Fung Ping
Po Leung Kuk Li Tsui Chung Sing Memorial
Kindergarten Ho Lan Sang
Po Leung Kuk Fong Wong Woon Tai
Kindergarten Lam Fung Chun
Po Leung Kuk Fong Wong Kam Chuen
Kindergarten Wong Hau Kuen
Ex-Portuguese Community Schools Loh Ping Han
The spokesman stressed that this warning was directed at the 32 principals personally and that it should not be considered as affecting the schools and kindergartens, or the other staff, pupils, or parents of pupils of the schools and kindergartens concerned.
End/Friday, September 8, 2000
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