Closest race expected to be fought in Tai Po North

Eunice Lam

Tai Po North constituency is expected to be the most contested among all 18 districts as two of the six candidates vying for two seats say the race remains wide-open though the largest pro-Beijing political party has a slight upper hand.

Bauhinia Party's Brandon Ng Chun-fai, 30, said he doesn't enjoy the same backing as fellow neophyte Wu Cheuk-him, 39, from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, but has nothing to lose.

Speaking of his party, Ng said: "Although we have neither experience nor network in the community, we are different from other parties as we don't have any historical burden."

As Bauhinia's only candidate in the election, Ng said he 'has full party support despite downsides in publicity and community resources."

Bauhinia, founded in 2020 and led by a cohort of financial industry executives originally from China, is participating in a local election for the first time. They are often referred to as "haigui" - mainland students coming to Hong Kong after studying overseas - with limited ties with local clans and societies.

But Ng said what they do have are "strong beliefs and a reformative political platform" focused on Hong Kong's overall and long-term interests.

Ng proposes in his election manifesto to improve Tai Po's transport network with MTR stations and connect Tai Po with Sha Tin across the bay. He also wants to see Tai Po become part of the Northern Metropolis.

Meanwhile, his DAB rival Wu was confident despite the tight race, saying his party has maintained a broad community network in the district.

"Promotion is not key to affecting election results but rather our contributions in the community throughout the last four years," Wu said.

Wu, running for the first time, has been an assistant of DAB lawmakers Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan and Gary Chan Hak-kan, and a member of the Federation of Public Housing Estates. He said he is experienced in serving Tai Po residents.

Tai Po North district spans Shap Sze Heung in the northern part of Sai Kung, a testing area for Wu and his team. He pledged to solve problems facing all residents in the district, like transport.

"No matter which socio-economic class one belongs, they need to use the same road," he said. "And everybody is stuck on Tolo Highway."

Focusing his platform on transport and healthcare, Wu hoped to address the aging population in the district. Government figures showed the population aged 65 and above in Tai Po grew nine percent this year.

Apart from Ng and Wu, other candidates in the constituency are 34-year-old businessman Manley Lau Man-kit from New People's Party, independent Lok Siu-luen, 39-year-old independent merchant Yip Wai-yi and 32-year-old community worker from the Federation of Trade Unions Ng Wei-hang. Lok does not provide age and profession.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com