TNAG-1611-FCO40-2214-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 182

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of the Christmas recess, it is necessary to seek Members' indulgence in considering the Bill now and in two sittings.

8.

"Name-dropping" refers to a situation in which

a candidate in an election claims to have the support of another person or organisation, without the prior written consent of the person or organisation whose name is being used. It was noted that misrepresentation in the content of some campaign materials used in the last elections in March 1986 had attracted general criticism from the public. Although section 16 (3) of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Ordinance provides for interim or perpetual court injunctions to be taken out by the injured party, such action can take time. It is therefore proposed to make an additional provision in the Ordinance, specifically to cover name-dropping, by requiring candidates to seek and obtain prior written consent before using the name of any other person or organisation in their election activities, and by making a breach of this

provision an offence.

بھر

The penalties prescribed in clause 2 of the

Bill for name-dropping are a fine of $500 on summary conviction, or a fine of $2,000 on conviction on indictment, together with a disqualification from being registered

as an elector for seven years from the date of conviction. Section 9 (3) of the principal Ordinance further provides for disqualification from candidature for 10 years. measures are considered an adequate deterrent.

These

17.