Legislators called on Chief Executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa yesterday to consider changing the birthday recorded on his ID card.
The call came after Mr Tung's revelation that he provided Hong Kong authorities with his Chinese lunar date of birth rather than the Western date when applying for an identity document in 1949. He had just arrived from Shanghai as a 12-year-old with his family.
At Mr Tung's 60th 'birthday' celebration on Thursday, he admitted giving authorities the May 29 lunar date - as used on the mainland - 'but it should have been July 7'.
That is the date of his birth according to the Gregorian calendar used in Hong Kong and preferred by the Immigration Department.
Mr Tung made no attempt to correct the date. By law, any person who has provided 'incorrect' particulars for their ID card has a duty to report corrections.
But a spokesman for Mr Tung denied yesterday the information was incorrect as it was his birthday according to the Chinese calendar used by 'half of Hong Kong'.
'It's not incorrect, it's different,' he said.