New pro-business Legco alliance vows to reconnect with Hong Kong
Pro-business alliance says it will bridge the gap between corporate world and Hong Kong
Seven pro-business lawmakers - accounting for a tenth of the Legislative Council - formed a new alliance yesterday.
The alliance - yet to have an English-language name pending the completion of company registration - has vowed to bridge the gap between the business and professional sectors with the rest of Hong Kong.
All the members are from functional constituencies, except for Dr Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, who represents Kowloon West.
The grouping includes former Economic Synergy members such as Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, who is now the new alliance chairman, Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, who has been tipped to join the Executive Council, and Lau Wong-fat, the head of the Heung Yee Kuk rural body. Leung represents the Industrial first constituency and Lam represents the Commercial first constituency.
Priscilla Leung and Abraham Razack, of the real estate and construction functional constituency, meanwhile, are from the Professional Forum.
Newly-elected lawmakers Lo Wai-kwok and Christopher Cheung Wah-fung, of the engineering and financial services sectors respectively, co-founded the alliance.
"Our seven votes are quite a significant share. So we hope to help the government formulate better policies and make better legislative amendments," said chairman Andrew Leung.
Despite most members coming from functional constituency seats, Leung said the alliance would be open to ideas on the future of these trade-based seats. The would have narrow electorates in the lead-up to the universal suffrage which could be seen in the 2020 Legco election.
Leung, who admitted that core members had a close relationship with the central government's liaison office, said the formation of the alliance was not a result of behind-the-scenes planning by the office.
Leung has been tipped to run for the post of chairman of the Legco House Committee.
