Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong (Chinese: 梁繼昌; born 17 October 1962) is a democratic Hong Kong politician formerly serving as a member of the Legislative Council for the Accountancy functional constituency. Professionally, he is a tax adviser and accountant.[1] On 11 November 2020, he was disqualified from the Legislative Council, along with three other lawmakers of the pan-democratic camp, by the central government in Beijing on request of the Hong Kong government. A mass resignation of pan-democrats the same day left the Legislative Council without a substantial opposition.
Kenneth Leung | |
|---|---|
梁繼昌 | |
 | |
| Member of the Legislative Council | |
| In office 1 October 2012 – 11 November 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Chan |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Wong (2022) |
| Constituency | Accountancy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 October 1962 Hong Kong |
| Nationality | |
| Political party | Professional Commons |
| Education | Queen's College |
| Alma mater | Hong Kong Polytechnic (PD) London School of Economics (BSc, LLM) |
| Occupation | Tax Consultant Accountant |
| Signature |  |
Education and background
editLeung was born in Hong Kong and attended Queen's College. After taking a diploma in accountancy at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he went on to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, from where he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and an LL.M. degree.[2][3] He has been working as a senior tax consultant.[4]
Political career
editLeung is considered a moderate in the pan-democratic camp.[1] His first electoral successes were in the accountancy sub-sector of the Election Committee for the Chief Executive. In a 2005 by-election he secured a seat, which he defended the following year.
In the 2012 LegCo election he won in the Accountancy constituency, securing 47% of the vote,[5][6] and held the seat for two terms until 2020.[1] He was a member of the Professionals Guild, a group of pro-democratic lawmakers in the Legislative Council, at the time of his disqualification in 2020.[1]
2019–20 Hong Kong protests
editOn 23 August 2019, during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Leung led a protest of accountants against the extradition bill. Leung stated that a particular concern of the bill to accountants came from their need to frequently cross the border to the Chinese mainland. He called for the protests in the central business district to be "civilized and calm".[7]
In November 2019, Leung requested the government to disclose the composition of the tear gas used by police in the protests, and to issue more guidelines regarding tear gas residue. Health Secretary Sophia Chan refused the first of these requests, citing operational concerns, and said that there was no evidence of tear gas leading to contamination by dioxines or dioxin poisoning.[8]
Disqualification in 2020 election
editFive weeks ahead of the later postponed 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council Election, on 30 July, the government stated that Leung was among a dozen pro-democracy candidates whose nominations were 'invalid', under an opaque process in which, nominally, civil servants – returning officers – assess whether, for instance, a candidate had objected to the enactment of the national security law, or was sincere in statements made disavowing separatism.[9] The election officials' main justification for the disqualification of Leung had been his participation in a March 2020 visit to the United States to discuss Hong Kong-United States relations. Leung's appeal against the decision was unsuccessful, even though the discussion had included politicians from the pro-Beijing DAB; the government argued that by not having opposed sanctions during the trip or at a conference that was held afterwards, he had played a "supportive" role in the call for sanctions.[2][10] In a December 2020 interview, Leung said he disagreed with the sanctions that the United States had imposed on the city.[10]
On 11 November 2020, following a decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress he was disqualified from Legislative Council along with three other lawmakers; this resulted in the resignation of a further 15 pro-democracy lawmakers.[11][12]
Controversies
editIn 2013, Leung was one of eight legislators treated by Cathay Pacific to a six-day trip to France to tour Airbus factories. In response to the public outcry and the perception of a conflict of interest, Leung stated that he would donate HK$100,000 to UNICEF, but refused to apologise.[13]
In March 2017, Kenneth Leung was sued by CY Leung, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, for alleged defamation. Kenneth Leung has made remarks about the $50 million payment that CY Leung received from an Australian firm in 2011 for signing a non-compete agreement, claiming that CY Leung was under investigation by overseas tax authorities for that payment, which CY Leung denied. According to the SCMP, Kenneth Leung said that the lawsuit "would not stop him from continuing with a Legislative Council investigation into the payment controversy".[14]
Personal life
editLeung is married.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Hung, Cheryl (11 November 2020). "Who are Hong Kong's four ousted Legco members, and what exactly did they do?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via Yahoo! News.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Mahtani, Shibani (19 August 2020). "In the new Hong Kong, Beijing forges a loyal opposition". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Members Database". n.d. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Hong Kong: China condemns defiant opposition lawmakers". BBC News. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Introduction to Candidates: Leung Kai-cheong Kenneth" (PDF). Hong Kong: Electoral Affairs Commission. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ "Election Results: Accountancy". Hong Kong: Electoral Affairs Commission. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ Soon, Stella (23 August 2019). "Hong Kong accountants join protests, but they're 'civilized and calm'". NBCNews.com. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Kenneth Leung demands answers on risks of 10,000 tear gas rounds". The Standard. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ Ho, Kelly; Grundy, Tom; Creery, Jennifer (30 July 2020). "Hong Kong bans Joshua Wong and 11 other pro-democracy figures from legislative election". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ a b Kwan, Rhoda (20 December 2020). "HK 2020 Interview: Ousted lawmaker says security law a 'fait accompli' but should not be used to persecute opponents". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign after China ruling". BBC News. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Twelve pro-democracy figures barred from Legco poll". RTHK. 30 July 2020.
- ^ a b "梁繼昌捐10萬拒道歉 (Leung Kai-cheong will donate $100k, refuses to apologise)". Ming Pao. 25 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying sues lawmaker for defamation, SCMP, 6 Mar, 2017