‘Not a parachute candidate’: Liberal is banking on his extensive behind-the-scenes political experience
Dominic Lee Tsz-king from the Liberal Party hopes to see social tension in the city ease
When he was an economics student in America at Rice University, Texas, Dominic Lee Tsz-king cut his teeth in politics working as a volunteer in John Kerry’s campaign during the US Democratic Party presidential primaries of 2004.
A year later, he became an intern in the office of Texas Democrat congressman Al Green, during which he met people with all sorts of problems and tried to understand their plight. It also sparked his determination to serve and try to improve the community.
Lee returned to Hong Kong after graduation and joined the Liberal Party in 2009.
He made his election debut in the 2011 district council polls, contesting a seat in the Kwai Tsing District Council. He lost, then scouted for a “safer” constituency in Sham Shui Po and won a seat in the upper middle-class constituency of Yau Yat Tsuen in last year’s district council elections.
At the age of 32, he now chairs the party’s young squadron.
In the upcoming Legislative Council elections, Lee heads his party’s list in the New Territories East constituency while party honorary chairman James Tien Pei-chun will run in second place. The ranking gives Lee a better chance than Tien of securing a seat under the so-called party-list proportional representation electoral system.
Lee’s decision is contrary to what he told the Post last December when he said he would not run in the legislative elections and that his priority was to serve Yau Yat Tsuen residents.
He said he changed his mind about two months ago, partly because it could help the party win more seats. “The combination of a new candidate and a popular veteran like Mr Tien could possibly attract enough votes for both of us,” said Lee.
But he was insistent he was not just another “parachute candidate”. Back in 2004, he assisted Tien in his election bid in the constituency as a party intern, he stressed.
On the Liberal Party’s standing, Lee maintained it is a “pro-establishment” party, despite it being a harsh critic of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. “That does not make us an opposition party. Leung is not capable of bringing harmony to Hong Kong,” said Lee.
“Unity is much needed here for our society to develop and progress. I hope to see Hong Kong’s social tension ease... There is too much noise and serious social split in recent years.
“Four years ago, no one talked about independence. Now one could hardly not agree that such calls are getting louder. And people’s distrust in China is getting more serious.”
