Hong Kong community centres for elderly can apply for HK$20,000 to help voters in district poll; lawmaker raises questions over pressure on sector
- Labour and Welfare Bureau reveals about 80 per cent of city’s 215 centres have applied for lump sum amount to help elderly frequenting facilities vote next week
- But welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen says some operators feel pressured and worried about engaging in politics
The government will give community centres for the elderly HK$20,000 (US$2,560) to help voters take part in next Sunday’s district council election in Hong Kong, prompting a welfare sector lawmaker to raise questions over pressure to increase the turnout rate.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau revealed late Saturday night that about 80 per cent of the 215 centres applied for the lump sum amount to help people who frequented the facilities vote in the first election since the district-level bodies were overhauled.
Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen, who represents the social welfare constituency, said the new initiative was an “obvious” way to get more people to vote, noting that some centre operators felt pressured and worried about engaging in politics.
“Previously, candidates provided coach services for the elderly,” Tik said. “It was seen as compromising a fair election. It will be quite complicated to convince the public that the new arrangement is purely about providing convenience to voters.”
He added that NGOs could find themselves in trouble if residents misunderstood that centres were supporting particular candidates.
He said the government should avoid forcing the elderly to participate, and provide more details for welfare groups, such as reminding them to stay impartial and clarifying responsibilities for possible misunderstandings.
Authorities on Sunday continued their weeks-long promotion efforts as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents and civil servants to vote.
