District Council election – introduction to candidates: 2. Sai Kung Central

sai kung town
Sai Kung Town is the heart of the area commonly called Hong Kong’s back garden    Photo: Wikipedia

The District Council (DC) election takes place on 24 November. BUZZ is running stories this week highlighting the candidates standing in the six Sai Kung and Clearwater Bay constituencies, excluding the new towns around Tseung Kwan O. This is the first time that all constituencies have had competitive elections; usually around two or three of the local councillors are elected unopposed.

Second up is Sai Kung Central. This is the power base of George Ng Sze-Fuk, 71-year-old Chair of the Sai Kung District Council. The constituency is loosely based on town centre in Sai Kung with estimated population of 10,901. The are 6,822 registered electors.

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George Ng Sze-Fuk has held the seat since 1986, and been Chairman of the DC for 25 years, which makes him the longest serving DC Chairman in Hong Kong. His election manifesto is in Chinese only. Ng is an active member of the pro-establishment Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), widely seen as a front for the Chinese Communist Party. It holds the largest number of seats in the Sai Kung District Council, and governs with a slim majority with the help of other pro-establishment parties.

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Ng’s opponent is Zoe Leung Hin Yan, a 25-year-old university staff. It is her first election. She is a member of the Power for Democracy political group and is an active member of Sai Kung Commons, a local activist group. Her bilingual manifesto emphasises enhancement of the transparency of the council to build an open and inclusive Sai Kung
as well as sustainable development of the area.

Ng has made himself a fixture in Sai Kung politics and business over the past 30+ years, and although he has been challenged a number of times in District Council elections, has always managed to keep his seat. In 2015 he won with 1,723 votes, around 2/3 of those cast.

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