16 more councillors expelled over oaths
Top News | Michael Shum 22 Oct 2021
The Democratic Party's Roy Kwong Chun-yu is among the latest batch of 16 district councillors ousted from office after authorities invalidated the oaths they took earlier this month.
Their ouster brings the total number of disqualified councillors to 49 of 452 elected seats. The 49 were all stripped due to invalid oaths after authorities asked them to pledge allegiance to the SAR and uphold the Basic Law.
After all the disqualifications and the more than 260 resignations, there are now only a total of 137 elected district councillors remaining - including 63 from the pro-democracy camp.
Unseated yesterday were Tsuen Wan district council vice chairman Li Hung-por and member Lam Sek-tim, Tuen Mun's Tsang Kam-wing and Kenneth Cheung Kam-hung, Kwai Tsing's Tong Ho-man and Leung Ching-shan and Islands' Wong Chun-yeung and Sammy Tsui Sang-hung.
Including Kwong, a former lawmaker, other ousted councillors from the pro-democracy camp in Yuen Long were district council chairman Zachary Wong Wai-yin and members Lai Kwok-wing, Felix Cheung Chi-yeung, Ng Hin-wang, Lai Po-wa, Chan Sze-nga and Lee Wai-fung.
Chan Mei-lin, also from Yuen Long, resigned three days after the oath-taking ceremony on October 8. Oath administrator Caspar Tsui Ying-wai - also the secretary for home affairs - had cast doubt on the validity of her oath.
Lam said the government questioned social media postings that contain pro-independence slogans, adding he never advocated independence.
"I have to emphasize that I have been focusing on community work and have been working closely with the government, but the government did not accept my explanation," Lam said.
Leung found the results frustrating, saying: "I am hoping to continue serving the neighborhood, but without resources from the district council, it will be challenging for me to do so."
At the oath-taking ceremony at North Point Community Hall, 51 out of 68 district councillors had their oaths validated, but Tsui cast doubt on those taken by the remaining 17.
That ceremony meant almost all councillors from the 18 districts had taken their oaths.
Four had their oaths postponed, including Yuen Long's Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, who earlier applied to the government to postpone his ceremony due to a medical operation.
Cheung of Yuen Long yesterday said he tendered his resignation due to "major health problems," making him "unable to fulfill" the promises he made when he was elected.
"I had promised to execute my duties till the last minute three months ago, but I have been hospitalized and underwent an operation due to gastrointestinal problems," he said.
"Upon examination, doctors discovered that I have a liver tumor."
He apologized to his voters and supporters for not finishing his four-year term, and thanked his colleagues and volunteers for their contribution.
Others who had their oath-taking postponed were North district's Wong Hoi-ying, who applied for postponement for undisclosed reasons.
Kwai Tsing district council chairman Leung Kam-wai and Tai Po's Herman Yiu Kwan-ho were both unable to attend the ceremony as they are in jail custody.
More than 260 district councillors resigned earlier after government sources told the media in July that those disqualified after taking their oath will be required to repay HK$1 million in salaries and claimed expenses.
Although the pro-establishment camp was only able to snatch 59 seats in the 2019 election, it has regained the majority by default in eight more district councils - including Kwai Tsing, Northern, Southern, Yuen Long and Wan Chai. It now has the majority in nine districts.
michael.shum@singtaonewscorp.com
