Sai Kung Councillor Christine Fong is often seen around town with one of her poodles
Sai Kung’s no-nonsense councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan is as feisty as she is feminine. When she’s protesting it’s all or nothing: she’s quite capable of jumping into the sea, which she’s done before, or daubing herself with fake blood. In an interview with SAI KUNG BUZZ, Christine was positive about some things and negative about others. “In general politics in Sai Kung is much cleaner than it was. Fewer councillors are in it for the business opportunities and there is less corruption. The district council has been reformed. We don’t waste time in political arguments.”
George Ng Sze-fuk, council chairman for 25 years — BUZZ told him you’ve been there too long, time to step aside to allow new blood to have a go — has retired. The chairlady now is Kathy Ma, also district officer, who’s efficient, Christine says. “Raise an issue with her and she’ll take it to the top government department heads.” Christine won her seat in a landslide at the 2024 District Council elections.
With a staff of just four, Christine fights daily to bring about reform. “The government pays for just one staff member, so I have to pay the others myself. So I am very poor. Lucky I’m single. No family burden.” At home she has just two poodles, Lucky and Happy, to care for.
Christine is campaigning on several fronts:
- THE WIDENING of Hiram’s Highway from Pak Wai into Sai Kung town means about 20 houses will be demolished. Christine is battling to get the owners new accommodation and compensation. Also she’s concerned about the slowness of the road improvement. The first stage took seven years. Christine wants the government to do the second stage in four years.
- ROAD WORKS are needed to improve the Clear Water Bay roundabout. In the rush hour traffic jams happen every day with long tailbacks. She’s urging the Highways Department to get on with improvements.
Christine works for the benefit of the poor. BUZZ has seen this before; when we visited, her office was piled high with boxes of goodies to give to the disadvantaged. Now she and her staff give free meals, mobile phones and toys to poor families, also legal advice on wills, probate, divorce, contracts. “We have 1000 people queuing up. We work hard.”
Well known for her campaigning style Photo: SCMP
A councillor since 2008, Christine has had many successes. She stopped the expansion of the Tseung Kwan O landfill. “I won!” adding “with the help of others.” Domestic waste has not been going into the landfill since 2016. It will be closed completely in 2028. Christine fought on the frontline to stop the TKO landfill extension, to the applause of some and the near-violent opposition of others. She has campaigned for 10 years for new bridges across the water from Tseung Kwan O. Now there are two road bridges and a walking bridge, just two months old. Her animal loving nature has shown with successful campaigning for pet friendly buses. KMB now has six routes allowing animals. GoPark will open in December; Christine campaigned for the widening of Sai Sha Rd. More government departments and businesses are moving into the new town of Tseung Kwan O, eg the Immigration Department, leaving north Wanchai.
Everything is not perfect. Christine notes some councillors are involved with the incorporated owner committees of multi-storey buildings, which given multi-million dollar renovation contracts, can lead to corruption. “But the financial situation is transparent now. We have KPI (key performance indicators) that reveal how councillors are doing.”
Presenting then HK CE Carrie Lam with a petition in 2019
Christine works on self-improvement. A chartered engineer, she has recently completed a master’s degree in fire safety engineering at the Polytechnic University. She founded and still runs the thinktank Professional Power. It is centrist, non-partisan and has four members in the Sai Kung District Council.
Anyone with problems or issues they want to raise may contact Christine — she’s your district councillor — at her office, ground floor, Shin Chi House, Shin Ming Estate, Tseung Kwan O. Tel: 26237371. Email info@christinefong.com
BUZZ has published a number of stories on Christine over the years.
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