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Reply:
Under the Boundary and Election Commission (Registration of Electors), (Functional Constituencies and Election Committee Constituency) Regulation which was made by the independent Boundary and Election Commission this January, the Registration Officer may require employers to provide the name and identity card number of working persons in their establishments within a specified period. Failure to comply with such a requirement is liable to a fine of up to $5,000.
The information so obtained is used to facilitate the registration of working persons in the nine new functional constituencies. For working persons who are already registered as geographical electors and whose names and identity card numbers are included in the employers' returns, they will be registered in the appropriate functional constituencies through a simple notification arrangement. The information also facilitates the Registration and Electoral Office to reach out to working persons who have not yet been registered as geographical electors, inviting them to get registered as geographical and functional electors at the same time.
Since mid-January, the Registration and Electoral Office have sent letters to over 700,000 employers, requesting them to provide the required information. As at the end of May 1995, the Registration and Electoral Office have received some 240,000 employers' returns covering about 1.8 million employee records. For those which have not responded, we suspect that many are shell companies or not active in business.
The response shows that many of the employers are civic minded. The penalty provision for non-compliance primarily serves as a deterrent and has not been invoked so far. As to any further action would be taken against employers who have not responded, this is a matter which the Boundary and Election Commission will be looking into.
End/Wednesday, June 7, 1995
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