First censure issued for barring an independent from premises

THE Boundary and Election Commission (BEC) has for the first time issued a public censure against the unfair treatment of candidates since it was created in 1993 to monitor all election-related activities.

The censure was directed at the Holford Garden Owners' Committee of the Mei Tin constituency in Sha Tin, which the commission found had granted preferential treatment to one candidate.

The Owners' Committee had barred Chu Moon-shing, an independent candidate, from paying household visits, distributing leaflets and displaying election advertisements on the premises.

On the other hand, it had opened the premises to another candidate, Ho Hau-cheung.

The committee continued to take an unfair stand even after the returning officer of the district warned that the BEC could issue a censure, according to a statement by the commission.

'This course of action ignores the need to accord fair and equal treatment to all candidates and is a blatant disregard of the BEC guidelines,' said commission chairman Justice Woo Kwok-hing.

He said that it was only after the Owners' Committee refused to take steps to end the prejudicial treatment that the commission decided to take action.