Two incumbent Hong Kong lawmakers faced scrutiny from a newcomer over their commitment to addressing urgent public transport issues in east Kowloon, sparking a minor dispute at the fifth government-hosted Legislative Council election forum.
Advertisement
Five candidates vying for two seats in the Kowloon East constituency also presented their policy initiatives, focusing on cultural and creative industry development and transforming the area into a new central business district (CBD) at the forum on Thursday morning.
During the debate, the host questioned whether turning eastern Kowloon into a business district remained viable given the area’s traffic congestion and ageing population, and asked how the candidates would approach this goal. The Kowloon East constituency covers Kwun Tong and the southwestern part of Wong Tai Sin.
Jeffrey Chan Chun-hung, from the local think tank PoD Research Institute, who did not declare his political affiliation in the nomination forms, challenged the two incumbent legislators on their commitment to solving pressing transport issues in the constituency.
“I support the East Kowloon Line too. But I would like to ask [the two incumbent lawmakers], since this project could only be put into use in 2033 at the earliest, why don’t you do more to increase the frequencies of buses, which is the more pressing demand from our residents?” he said, referring to a high-rise light rail system to be built in the area.
Advertisement
Among the candidates were two incumbent Legco members, Tang Ka-piu from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and Frankie Ngan Man-yu from the city’s largest political party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB). Both have boasted the realisation of the rail system as part of their record.