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Leading Hong Kong politicians are calling on all public servants to deeply reflect on their personal behavior and uphold the community's high expectations, reacting strongly to the recent arrest and abrupt resignation of a lawmaker involved in an alleged drunk driving and hit-and-run incident.
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Starry Lee Wai-king
Widespread criticism and calls for better conduct
Senior political figures were quick to respond to the scandal over the weekend. Tam Yiu-chung, vice chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, delivered a severe critique of the situation on Saturday.
He characterized the disgraced lawmaker's actions as a massive misstep and condemned his poor handling of the incident from the initial crash to the subsequent fallout.
Tam stressed that such behavior is entirely unacceptable and serves as a profound lesson for all legislators to remain highly cautious in their actions.
Meanwhile, Legislative Council President Starry Lee Wai-king stated that the resignation demonstrated an assumption of responsibility.
She emphasized that the public rightly holds officials to stringent standards, expressing her hope that other lawmakers will learn from this event and exercise greater vigilance over both their professional duties and private lives.
Arrest prompts swift departure
The intense political scrutiny follows the sudden resignation of William Wong Kam-fai, an Election Committee constituency lawmaker and associate dean of engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Wong announced his departure from all legislative duties on Friday after being arrested by police.
He is facing four charges, including alleged drunk driving and fleeing the scene of a traffic accident that occurred recently within the university campus.
Lee noted that she trusts the judicial system will process the criminal case according to the law, while also encouraging the public to continue their supervision of the legislature to help build a better community.
By-election arrangements under consideration
The unexpected vacancy has raised questions about the necessity of a by-election. Addressing the issue, Tam noted that because the vacated seat belongs to the Election Committee constituency, the legislature's overall and daily operations will remain largely unaffected.
He indicated that the government will need to comprehensively weigh various public opinions before making a final decision on how to proceed with filling the seat.
When asked whether Wong remains suitable for his ongoing role in the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Tam suggested that while the ultimate decision lies with the individual, the national advisory body enforces rigorous standards regarding the personal integrity, speech, and overall conduct of its members.
