Gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires are required by law to remain neutral and impartial with regard to the Legislative Assembly Election. Employees of those companies also have that responsibility, while on duty.

The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election, Mr Tong Hio Fong, made the comments to reporters today after a meeting the Commission held jointly with the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, and which involved representatives of gaming concessionaires, sub-concessionaires and local associations for gaming promoters.

According to the Legislative Assembly Election Law, public entities and bodies with the same legal status, in addition to holders of public concessions, cannot take part, either directly or indirectly, in any campaigning events, or act in support of – or in opposition to – particular electioneering teams, said Mr Tong. This requirement also covered gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires, he added.

The Chairman went on to say that the same requirements also applied to employees of gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires. They needed to remain neutral when executing their duties, and could not display any campaigning material on company premises or do any campaigning activities during office hours and on company premises.

The Commission hoped gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires would remind their employees of these regulations, in order for them not to breach their duty to be neutral and impartial, Mr Tong said. If their employees were subsequently found to be violating the rules, employees would be held individually responsible for such behaviour. In cases of potential offenses, the employing companies concerned should contact immediately the Commission or the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, to ask those bodies to follow up on the matter, Mr Tong said.

Gaming sector attendees at today’s meeting said they would fully cooperate with the requirements and would issue internal notices to their staff as a reminder, he added.

On election day, companies and businesses had a duty to allow employees to vote. Mr Tong added that any companies providing transport to a polling station on the basis of convenience for their employees, should not be deemed in violation of the law, as long as there was no electoral propaganda effort involved. But while on the way to polling stations, if there were any instruction issued to passengers regarding voting, or display of promotional material, or broadcast of campaigning slogans, that might constitute an offence, Mr Tong added.

When speaking to reporters, Mr Tong gave further details of a requirement to shield or hide from the public any information that might be deemed as related to campaigning, during the compulsory pre-election cooling-off period and on the election day itself. Only campaigning information promoting particular team(s), or the giving of advice that might affect voters’ intentions, would be covered by the rule.

Should news organisations experience any technical difficulties in fulfilling the requirements, they could report the matter to the Commission, so that it could follow up accordingly, Mr Tong said.