The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election and the Commission Against Corruption jointly hold a public briefing session on the election process and the Legislative Assembly Election Law.
The process for the 2017 Legislative Assembly Election has started and interested individuals may form respective nomination committees for the purpose of contesting directly-elected Legislative Assembly seats.
The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election, Mr Tong Hio Fong, made the observations on Tuesday (18 April) during a public meeting about the election process and about the updated Legislative Assembly Election Law. The session, jointly held by the Electoral Affairs Commission and the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), was attended by 210 people.
Mr Tong urged the public to continue to support the Electoral Affairs Commission’s work, in order to ensure the 2017 Legislative Assembly Election was conducted in a fair and just manner, free of corruption.
The Electoral Affairs Commission is to step up efforts to boost community participation in the poll, in particular encouraging voters to exercise their voting rights and duties on election day, which is 17 September.
The Commissioner Against Corruption, Mr Cheong Weng Chon, said his organisation would launch a series of promotional campaigns to let candidates, campaigning teams and voters gain a better understanding of the regulations and law relating to the Legislative Assembly Election. Moreover, the CCAC is to strengthen its liaison with candidates and their campaigning teams regarding the limits of the law; what behaviour might amount to corruption; and what other actions might risk violating the law.
The updated Legislative Assembly Election Law had strengthened anti-corruption oversight of the poll, with the aim of ensuring a clean election. The law enforcement authorities would – subject to the power bestowed on them by law – be steadfast and spare no effort in fighting against any election-related corruption, said Mr Cheong.
According to the law, the definition of electoral corruption covers: any attempts to influence voters’ intentions in exchange for benefits; and any attempt to influence voters’ intentions by violence, deception or coercion, said the CCAC’s Assistant Commissioner, Mr Lam Chi Long, in comments during Tuesday’s session.
The public meeting also briefed attendees on the election process for direct elections and for indirect ones, including the formulation of nomination committees; the documents that must be submitted; and the respective submission deadlines for such documents.