Charles Mok 可圈可點
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
[EJinsight] Getting caught for election fraud is easier than you think
As demonstrated in the recent US presidential primaries, the Taiwan presidential election, the London mayoral election and the district council elections in Hong Kong last year, the internet and social media are quickly becoming an increasingly decisive battleground for candidates.
However, while it is very common for netizens to express their own support or rally support for particular candidates through social media in an election, few might be aware that by doing so they could fall into legal traps and even face criminal charges.
Last week, the Independent Commission Against Corruption invited a netizen to assist in its investigation of a suspected violation by her of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance.
Media reports said that during the Legislative Council by-election in New Territories East in February, that person allegedly forwarded messages on Facebook urging her friends to vote for Edward Leung Tin-kei, the candidate representing Hong Kong Indigenous.
That person was not a member of Leung's campaign team, and she forwarded the messages entirely of her own accord without receiving any reward for doing so.
She did that because she agreed with Leung's election pledges.
It is something anyone with a smartphone might casually do.
However, under the Elections Ordinance, online messages and images showing support for a particular candidate, including those shared among friends or chat groups on social media, are considered election advertisements and will be counted in the election expenses of that candidate.
Since under Section 23 of the Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance, only candidates themselves and the election agents they appoint can incur election expenses, anybody who incurs any election expense without the authorization of a candidate will be in violation of the law and could face criminal charges.
As we can see, the vulnerability of the average individual to a criminal charge of violating the Elections Ordinance is absolutely staggering.
To make things worse, thanks to the minimal public promotion and education about this potential legal risk by the government, the overwhelming majority of our citizens aren't aware of it at all.
Even though the odds of your getting caught by the ICAC for sending Facebook messages rooting for a candidate in an election might be smaller than those of your getting hit by a car, the risk is still there, and it is by no means a negligible issue.
I strongly urge the government to introduce a special clause to the existing Elections (Corrupt and Illegal Conduct) Ordinance to exempt messages and images posted by the average internet user during elections, just as New Zealand and Canada have done.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on May 23 2016
Translation by Alan Lee
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
[EJinsight] Give our children an equal opportunity to learn
The popularization of information technology and the high internet penetration rate in Hong Kong have given many of us the impression that educational equality has already been achieved in this city, when in fact it is not the case.
Even though 96.2 percent of low-income families in Hong Kong have their own computers, and 95.2 percent of students from low-income families have access to the internet, these impressive numbers are unable to reflect the truth: a vast majority of these students are using obsolete computers and have to put up with low-speed internet connections when doing their homework.
The Internet Learning Support Program (ILSP) launched by the Education Bureau has been underway for several years, and so far it has spent HK$500 million (US$64.4 million) and helped 112,040 low-income families to buy their own computers.
The scheme might look pretty successful, but in fact it still has a lot of room for improvement, and the government could have done substantially more to help underprivileged students.
Recently, at a meeting between officials from the office of the government's chief information officer and parent representatives from low-income families, many of the parents complained about the inadequacy of the existing program.
For example, the ILSP doesn't apply to kindergarten students, and given its allowance of just HK$1,300 per year for each eligible family, its beneficiaries can only afford an 8 megabyte per second internet service plan, which is rather slow by today's standards.
Moreover, many parents also said the subsidies they are given under the ILSP are just enough for them to buy second-hand or obsolete computers.
To make things worse, the ILSP doesn't cover the cost of repairs of the computer systems.
As a result, many low-income families have no choice but to stick to their outdated or even malfunctioning computers because they just can't afford to fix them or buy a new one.
One of the parents at the meeting said she has three school-age children at home but only one obsolete computer, and every day her kids have to take turns to do their homework.
The last in the queue often has to wait until late at night for his turn, and that often leads to quarrels among them.
Another said her daughter has to go to a stationery store in the neighborhood to print out her homework every day because the family's printer has broken down and they just can't afford to get a new one.
I sincerely hope that the administration can take their complaints and views seriously and act accordingly to improve the ILSP.
I believe every kid in Hong Kong deserves to have an equal opportunity for education regardless of his or her family background, and it is our government's responsibility to make that happen.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on May 16 2016
Translation by Alan Lee
https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1307397/20160517-give-our-children-equal-opportunity-learn
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
[EJinsight] Technology voucher scheme should be open and simple
Amid lukewarm global economic growth, small businesses in Hong Kong are facing competition and challenges of unprecedented proportions.
The degree to which they can adapt to the new business environment in the era of the information “Big Bang” and ride the tidal wave of rapid IT development will determine whether they survive or die.
Given the decisive role of information technology in the global economy, many owners of small businesses in Hong Kong are deeply concerned about whether government policies can facilitate the role of IT as the new growth engine of the city's economy.
The key to success is to stimulate domestic demand for tech services and products, so as to generate more business opportunities for the local tech industry.
Under the proposed HK$500 million (US$64.4 million) pilot scheme for technology vouchers, eligible small businesses will be given an allowance of up to HK$200,000 over a duration of three years to acquire tech solutions and services to improve their profit and productivity.
The scheme is aimed to create a win-win situation for small businesses and tech startups in Hong Kong by stimulating local demand through government subsidies to create more business opportunities for tech developers.
However, during a series of meetings between representatives of the local tech industry and government officials in March regarding the launch of the scheme, many members of the tech sector expressed concerns about bureaucracy and red tape that may put off potential applicants, as was the case in numerous government stimulus programs in the past.
Others suggested that service providers in the scheme should not be confined to tech companies recognized or certified by government-related bodies such as the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and CyberPort .
Representatives of small businesses at the meeting would also like the government to allow more service providers to participate, so that they will have a wider range to choose from.
Some also said the government should expand the scope of the scheme to make more kinds of services eligible for subsidies.
I think it is important for the government to take their views into account and address their concerns promptly, so as to make sure that the scheme is viable and can fulfill its intended purposes.
As the administration is going to brief the Legislative Council on further details of the scheme on May 17, I am looking forward to some good news from the government as to how it will simplify application procedures for the scheme to make it more user-friendly, simple and efficient.
This article appeared in the Hong Kong Economic Journal on May 9 2016
Translation by Alan Lee