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(b)
(c)
how it will ensure that full-time employees of organisations which are neither registered businesses nor registered societies will register as electors of the new functional constituencies; and
whether the failure of the organisations mentioned in (b) above to take the initiative to provide information on its employees to the Registration and Electoral Office is in contravention of section 23 of the Boundary and Election Commission (Registration of Electors) (Functional Constituencies and Election Committee Constituency) Regulation?
Reply:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) has plans to request organisations registered under the Societies Ordinance to provide information of their employees. On receipt of such information, the REO will write to the employees concerned inviting them to register as electors in the nine new functional constituencies.
The Government is conducting an extensive publicity campaign to ensure that full-time employees of organisations which are neither registered businesses nor registered societies are aware that they can, if eligible, become electors in one of the new functional constituencies. There are open appeals through television, radio and newspaper advertisements to encourage eligible persons to get themselves registered. They can pick up a voter registration form at any one of 1,500 outlets which include District Offices, Post Offices, housing estate offices and major bank offices. The publicity campaign will intensify and continue until registration closes on 1 June.
Section 23 of the Boundary and Election Commission (Registration of Electors) (Functional Constituencies and Election Committee Constituency) Regulation provides sanction against organisations which fail to provide information upon request to the Registration Officer for the purpose of voter registration. If an organisation does not take the initiative to provide information on its employees to the Registration Officer, there is no contravention of section 23 of the above Regulation.
End/Wednesday, March 29, 1995