Those who are not committed to serving residents should not be on district-level service teams, Hong Kong leader John Lee has said, after a care team headed by a former district councillor ceased operation.
“All we want are people who are committed and have a passion for rendering this care service. And for those whose priority is not on providing this service wholeheartedly, with the passion and commitment, then probably he is not appropriate,” Lee said.
Speaking at a regularly scheduled press conference on Tuesday morning, Lee said that the government had contingencies to deal with any interruptions in district care team services.
His remarks came after the Yuen Long Livelihood Serving Agency care team disbanded on Monday, with team captain Ken Chow citing financial difficulties after he failed to secure a seat on the council.
Lee said the government would arrange for a nearby care team to fill in for the agency.
Financial difficulties
Chow – who began serving as a District Councillor in 1995 but lost his seat in 2019, when many establishment candidates were unseated in a pro-democracy landslide – told local media outlet HK01 that he had not received any “blessings” to run for councillor in the overhauled 2023 local election. He was referring to a nomination mechanism introduced as part of a raft of changes to the electoral system.
The overhaul was was unveiled in May 2023 to ensure only “patriots” could be elected, with the number of seats chosen democratically by the public slashed from 452 to 88, and the rest chosen by the city’s leader and government-appointed committees.
Regarding Chow’s situation, Lee said the polls ensured that the “best people” were chosen. “And if anybody looks for a position for money purpose, then probably this is not the passion and commitment we want,” he said.
“For people who wanted to stand for election but could not satisfy the requirement, they should review themselves to see why they did not get either the nomination or the support of the people,” Lee added.
See also: Opposition shut out of Hong Kong’s ‘patriots-only’ District Council race
Lee said there were over 400 care teams in the city’s 18 districts, comprising about 5,000 members. “[T]hey have been operating very well,” he said, adding that care teams could apply for funds and subsidies.
The agency, which Chow led for three months before shutting it down in December, was one of 452 care teams that each represent one sub-district in Hong Kong’s 18 districts.
Each care team consists of eight to 12 members appointed by pro-establishment groups, selected by the government to run the teams.
‘I’ve been retired’
The Home Affairs Department told local media on Monday that its Yuen Long office had received notice from the agency last month that it would cease operations. The department added that a care team from a neighbouring sub-district would be mobilised to serve the Shui Wah sub-district.
Care team expenses were around HK$240,000 a year, Chow said. Without financial backing from a major party, Chow, who was formerly part of the pro-business Liberal Party, had to pay out of his own pocket.
“Because of various reasons, I ran into several roadblocks when trying to secure nominations,” adding that the only thing he could do was give up on his political career. “I’ve been retired,” he told HK01.
A team from the Shui Oi sub-district operated by the Tin Shui Wai Women Association will take up Shui Wah care team duties.
Chow added that the agency had already returned a HK$200,000 subsidy to the government that was granted when the care team was selected last September.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak told Ming Pao on Monday that the care team had returned the subsidy.
Regarding Chow’s criticism of the new district councils, she said that the High Court had ruled that the government’s nomination mechanism was not unconstitutional, and that the work of care teams should not be linked to the District Council elections.
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