APD Campus Reporters| HK's "vote-planting" triggers debate on suffrage of mental handicapped people

LiSijie |CityUniversityofHongKong

Severalmediarecentlyreportedcasesofvote-rigginginvolvingmentalhandicappedvotersinHongKong.ThesecasesprovoketheintensediscussionaboutHongKongmentalhandicappedpeople'slegalsuffrageamonglocalmentalhandicappedpeople,socialworkersandothercitizens.

Accordingtotheprovisionalvotersprofile,14peoplelivingintheShanKingEstatedormitoryunderNewLifePsychiatricRehabilitationAssociationhaveregisteredasvotersinAugust,2015.Thedormitorysaidtheyallvoluntarilyregistered.However,theyrepliedthereportersasknowingnothingaboutthevotingregistrationwhenbeingasked.Moreover,allofthemareidentifiedasmediumintelligenthandicappedwhichmeanstheydonothavethelegalrighttovoteinHongKong.SimilarcasesappearedinYuenLong,HungHom,TuenMunandTaiPothrough2014and2015.Thesesituationswerenoticedandreportedbyseveralmediaandweresuspectedasillegal"voteplanting".LegislativecouncilorChuengChiuHungsaidthatthementalhandicappedpeoplewereillegallymanipulatedbysomepartiesfortherapidgrowthoftheirsupportingvotesandhecalledforcarefulattentionsonsimilarcases.

Itisnodoubtthatillegal"vote-planting"casesmustbepunishedandclearedbystrictinvestigationandsupervision.However,thesecasesalsoraisedthediscussiononanimportanttopic:shouldHongKongofferlegalsuffragetomentalhandicappedpeople?Thefactthatmentalhandicappedpeopleareeasilymanipulatedfornegativepurposeseveninsituationsthattheydonothavelegalsuffragesupportsthearguesofpartieswhoareagainstofferingthisrighttothem.

HongKonggovernmenthaspromised5millionqualifiedvoterslegalrightstovote,electingtheirownChiefExecutivein2017.However,theandthestillprohibitthesuffrageofpeoplewithchallengedmentalorintelligenceconditionsidentifiedbythe.Therefore,theissueofadmittingthelegalsuffrageofmentalhandicappedpeopleisarguedintensivelyandcontinuouslyinHongKong.

MokChunWai,aprofessionalsocialworkerthatworkswithmentalhandicappedstudents'educationprogramsinCityYouthEmpowermentProjectexpressedhisopinionsonthisissueinaninterview.Heusedtheterm"consciousness"todescribementalhandicappedpeople'ssituations."Theyareconsciousofthesocietyandthewaypeopletreatthem,"hesaid,"althoughtheirintelligencemaynotreachanaveragelevel,theyknowwhoiskindtothem.Theyhavetheirpreference."Hementionedthatalotofmentalhandicappedstudentsinhisprogramstookpoliticalrelevantcoursesandhadbasicknowledgeofthevotingprocess."TheireyesweresparklingwhenItoldthemtheuniversalsuffragemaycometruein2017,"hedescribed,"theyarereallylookingforwardtothisrighttoo!"HealsoarguedthatthereleasedbyUnitedNationsrequireequalpoliticalrightsforeveryhandicappedpersonandtheHongKonggovernment'sactofprohibitingthissuffrageisviolatingthisconvention.Intermsofthevote-plantingcases,heexpressedhishopetostrengthentheregulationandsupervisingsystems."Thementalhandicappedpeoplearealsovictimsinthesecases,"hesaid,"therightthingtodoisnotdeprivingthemoftheirbasicrightsbecausetheyarevulnerabletomanipulatorsbutstrengtheningthesupervisingsystemtoprotectthemfrombeingmanipulated."Hehavebeeninteractingwithover500localmentalhandicappedstudentsandconfirmedhisbeliefthroughthisprocess.

Nevertheless,therearealsoexpertsofpublicpolicyexpressingtheirconcernsoftheactualpoliticaleffectaftertherealizationofmentalhandicappedpeople'slegalsuffrage.ChrisWong,astudentinhissophomoreyearmajoringinthedepartmentPublicPolicyofCityUniversityofHongKong,worriedthatmentalhandicappedpeoplearenotrationalenoughforvotingprocess."Thelawonlyprohibitedsuffrageofpeoplewithintelligencelessthan70.Itisquitehardforpeopleinthesepopulationstounderstandthewholepoliticalsituationandtheconflictofinterestsbetweendifferentparties."Hesaid,"theycaneasilytrustsomeonetheyarefamiliarwith,whichofferspoliticiansopportunitiestoutilizethemforsupportingvotes."Heraisedtheissuethatitishardtodefinemanipulationandimpossibletoclearallthevote-riggingactsjustbyregulations.HementionedtheattitudeofBarnabusFung,thechairmanofElectoralAffairsCommissions.ItisreportedthatFunhadadmittedtheactofinstructinggroupsofelderpeoplelivinginresthomestovoteforoneparticularpartyduringtea-talktimewithmedia.Itisstillillegalnowtomanipulatementalhandicappedpeoplesincetheydonothavelegalsuffrage.Butoncethatsuffrageisoffered,thepartiesmayutilizethemmorefrequentlywithoutrestrictions."

Numerousintervieweesalsomentionedsomedifferentpoliciesonthisissueofotherpartsoftheworld.AmongwhichBritainandAustraliawerementionedmostfrequently.ItisreportedthatBritainhasestablishedofficialwebsitesthatexplaindetailsofvotingprocessandparties'conditionstohelpthosementalhandicappedpeopletounderstandthepoliticalsituation.Australiahassetupaperiodicevaluationsystemtodeterminewhetherparticularmentalhandicappedpersoncanparticipateinvotingornot.TheseactionsareacceptedgloballyandLegislativecouncilorChuengChiuHungproposedthatHongKongmayfollowtheseexamples.

Sources :

Interviewees:

MokChunWai,professionalsocialworkerinCityYouthEmpowermentProject

ChrisWong,year2studentmajoringinPublicPolicyDepartmentofCityUniversityofHongKong

FangShimeng,voluntaryworkerwhoworksinmentalhandicappedstudents'educationprogramofferedbyCityYouthEmpowermentProject

Twootherswhodonotwanttheirpersonalinformationbegivenaway