（獨媒特約報導）本土民主前線發言人梁天琦，報名參選新界東直選，遭選舉主任電郵查詢其港獨立場。梁天琦上週提出司法覆核，在本周三被法院拒絕快速審訊。昨日他召開記者會，表示已回覆選舉主任，表明不會推動港獨，並已簽署「確認書」，本文為其覆信全文，以英文為準。
Ms. HO Lai-sheung, Cora, JP Returning Officer
New Territories East Geographical Constituency 4/F, Sha Tin Government Offices
1 Sheung Wo Che Road
Sha Tin, New Territories
27th July 2016
Dear Madam,
Re: 2016 Legislative Council General Election – LEUNG Tin-kei Edward
1. I refer to your letter dated 22 July 2016 (“the Letter”) and your letter dated 25 July 2016 sent to me by e-mail.
2. In paragraph 5 of the Letter, you, purportedly under section 10(10) of the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (Legislative Council)
Regulation, Cap 541D (“the Regulation”), requested me to answer the following question for your consideration of whether my nomination is valid:
“你是否承認，雖然你簽署了提名表格上擁護《基本法》和保證效忠香港特別行政區的聲明，但事實上你仍然繼續主張和推動香港獨立？” (“the Question”)
3. I have sought legal advice (for which I claim privilege) as to whether you have power to ask the Question. I hereby reply as follows:
(1) Section 40(1)(b)(i) of the Legislative Council Ordinance, Cap 542
(“LCO”) provides:
“A person is not validly nominated as a candidate for an election for a constituency unless the nomination form includes or is accompanied by a declaration to the effect that the person will uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”.
(2) My nomination form duly submitted to you on 16 July 2016 (“the Nomination Form”) includes “a declaration to the effect that the person will uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region” (“the Declaration”), which complies with section 40(1)(b)(i) of the LCO.
(3 )Section 40(1)(b)(i) of the LCO is complied with so long as the Nomination Form includes the Declaration. You have no power to enquire into, for example, whether I was bona fide in signing the Declaration in the Nomination Form.
(4) Section 10(10) of the Regulation only empowers you to require me to furnish any other information that you consider appropriate to be satisfied: (a) that I am eligible to be nominated as a candidate; and (b) as to the validity of the nomination.
(5) Section 10(10) of the Regulation does not empower you to enquire into the subject-matter of the Question, which has nothing to do with whether I am eligible to be nominated as a candidate or the validity of the nomination:
(i) under section 16(2) of the Regulation, I stand validly nominated unless: (a) you decide that the Nomination Form is invalid; or (b) I withdraw my candidature; and
(ii) under section 16(3) of the Regulation, you may decide that my nomination is invalid if and only if any of the grounds specified in section 16(3)(a)-(f) applies. You have failed to identify which of the grounds (if any) specified in section 16(3)(a)-(f) are engaged.
(6) Further, the Nomination Form complies with section 10 of the Regulation and sections 37, 39 and 40 of the LCO.
(7) Therefore, you have no power to decide that my nomination is invalid.
4.Without prejudice to the forgoing (in particular paragraphs 3(3)-(5) above), and for the avoidance of doubt, I hereby declare that:
(1) the answer to the Question is a resounding “no”;
(2) I am not responsible for and do not accept the accuracy of some of the hearsay statements contained in the materials referred to in paragraph 2 of the Letter (“the Hearsay Statements”);
(3) I hereby dissociate myself from all of the contents of the Hearsay Statements;
(4) I have sought legal advice (for which I claim privilege) and now:
(i) I fully understand the legal requirements and, on that basis, am
“bona fide in signing the declaration in the nomination form”(See the press statement issued by the Electoral Affairs Commission on 14 July 2016.); and
(ii) I clearly understand “the relevant Articles of the Basic Law” , namely Articles 1, 12 and 159(4);
(5) for the avoidance of doubt, the “Facebook webpage of LEUNG Tin- kei Edward” referred to in paragraph 2 of the Letter (“the Old Facebook Page”) was not managed by myself and I did not upload anything on it;
(6) on 23 July 2016, I closed the Old Facebook Page which contains statements that are inconsistent with my present stance and opened a new Facebook page; and
(7) further, on 23 July 2016, I instructed my election agent to correct the information in relation to my election advertisements by removing the Old Facebook Page as my election advertisement through the online platform, which has been completed before the date of this letter;
(8) in any event, irrespective of the Hearsay Statements and/or any other statements that may be inconsistent with my present stance, I hereby re-iterate and re-confirm that I will uphold the Basic Law (including Articles 1, 12 and 159(4) thereof) and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – see a duly signed Confirmation Form enclosed herewith.
5. In the premises, please decide whether I am validly nominated as soon as practicable in accordance with section 16 of the Regulation.
Yours faithfully,
LEUNG Tin-kei Edward
Encl.
選委會何小姐
2016年7月27日
敬啟者︰
有關︰2016立法會換屆選舉－梁天琦
1. 在此回覆閣下7月22日的信及7月25日的電郵。
2. 在閣下來信的第5段，閣下根據香港法例第541D章《選舉管理委員會(選舉程序)(立法會)規例》第10(10)條（下稱《規例》」），為讓閣下考慮本人提名是否有效，要求本人回答以下問題︰
「你是否承認，雖然你簽署了提名表格上擁護《基本法》和保證效忠香港特別行政區的聲明，但事實上你仍然繼續主張和推動香港獨立？」（下稱「問題」）
3. 我就究竟閣下是否有權問我這個問題，尋求了法律意見。我的答案如下：
(1) 《立法會條例》40(1)(b)(i)指明：
「除非候選人的提名表格，載有或附有一項示明該人會擁護《基本法》和保證效忠香港特別行政區的聲明，否則不得獲有效提名為某選區或選舉界別選舉的候選人」。
(2) 我在7月16日已向閣下提交了提名表，也交了確認書。
(3) 我已遵從了《立法會條例》40條(1)(b)(i)的要求，閣下便再無權問我，究竟我是否真心簽署確認書。
(4) 《選舉管理委員會(選舉程序)(立法會)規例》第10(10)條只授權閣下要求我，提交閣下認為有需要交的資料，去確認(a)我是否合資格成為提名人；(b)提名是否有效。
(5) 《規例》第10(10)條並無授權閣下問一些與我「是否有資格做候選人」無關的問題。
(i) 根據《規例》第16(2) 條，除非我自行退出，又或閣下認為個提名表格無效，否則我便是合資格
(ii) 根據《規例》第16(3) 條，閣下可以根據《規則》第16條(3)(a)-(f)所列出的原因，去認為我的提名無效，但閣下從沒指出過究竟我是犯了(a)-(f)所列出的哪一項問題
(6) 我的提名表格符合《規例》第10 條及《立法會條例》的第37、39及40條。
(7) 因此，閣下無權決定我的提名無效。
4. 為免疑問，現在我聲明如下：
(1) 該問題的答案是響亮的「不」；
(2) 閣下信中第2段引述的一些材料（即傳媒報導），我不會負責，也拒絕承認它們的真確性，這些只是「傳聞材料」（hearsay statements）；
(3) 這些「傳聞材料」全部與我無關；
(4) 我尋求了法律意見：
(i) 我明白有關的法律要求，並真誠簽署了確認書；
(ii) 我清楚明白《基本法》第1、12及159(4)條；
(5) 為免疑問，閣下信中第2段所指的「梁天琦Facebook頁」（「舊Facebook專頁」）並不是由我管理，我從來沒有在那個舊Facebook專頁上載過任何東西3；
(6) 今年7月23日，我關閉了舊Facebook專頁，入面的內容與我現在的立場不相符（inconsistent）了。我開了個新Facebook；
(7) 今年7月23日，我吩咐我的選舉經理更正了我的選舉廣告，移除了我的舊Facebook。我的舊Facebook不再是我的網上選舉宣傳平台。這個步驟在這今日之前已完成了。
(8) 無論如何，也不論任何「傳聞材料」及／或任何與我目前立場不同的聲明，我再次重申及重新確認，我會擁護《基本法》（包括第1,12,159(4)條），亦表示效忠香港特別行政區，詳情見隨附我已簽妥的確認書。
5. 請盡快根據《規例》第16條，確認我是否得到有效提名。
梁天琦