Ronny Tong Ka-wah
Politician and barrister Ronny Tong Ka-wah is a member of the Legislative Council and the Civic Party Executive Committee. He tells Yannie Chan about his dislike of politics, playing jazz with Alan Tam and why he’s vowed never to take on another criminal case.
I was born in Hong Kong and I grew up in Wan Chai. I lived in a 100-square-foot apartment on Spring Garden Lane.
My grades weren’t good enough for any university. I ended up working at the counter at Citibank and playing in a band at night.
It’s a matter of pure luck that I’m in the legal profession. My friend showed me an article about HKU setting up a law department. There were 28 seats and only 14 had applied.
The professor who interviewed me asked about my hobbies, and I said “jazz guitar.” I told him I really liked jazz musician Wes Montgomery, and it turned out my professor was a fan too. We discussed his music for 20 minutes and then he said, “Your grades don’t qualify, but I’ll let you in.”
I was playing in a band with Alan Tam at the time. No one believed you could make it as a musician. I think Alan didn’t expect that himself.
I had a scholarship to Oxford and another from the Rotary Club after I graduated, but I could only withdraw the money in my second year.