Benson Luk Hon-man, a lawmaker of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA), announced on Monday his decision to withdraw from the upcoming Legislative Council election, marking a total of 28 lawmakers opting out.
In a social media post, the 42-year-old noted that his decision followed careful consideration and discussions with colleagues and his wife, former news anchor Cathy Hung Yee-man.
"Looking ahead, I will continue to serve the nation and Hong Kong," Luk wrote, committing to connecting different sectors to promote sports, culture, and tourism, as well as youth development in a new role.
Reflecting on his four-year tenure in the Council, Luk highlighted his advocacy for the yacht industry as a key achievement -- which was recently addressed in the Chief Executive's policy address with plans for 600 new berths.
Luk's departure means that half of the BPA's nine lawmakers—the second-largest party after the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) in the current term—are off the December election.
In addition to Luk, four other BPA members have announced their exit -- LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, BPA chairman Lo Wai-kwok, real estate and construction sector lawmaker Louis Loong Hon-biu and business sector lawmaker and executive councilor Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung -- all of whom are over 70 years old.
