‘Help young Hong Kong protesters convicted of crimes reintegrate into society’: call by Legco poll hopeful despite pro-Beijing party’s tough stance
- Joseph Chan, 25, the youngest candidate in the coming political race, champions ‘becoming a bridge to link resources’ in Post’s three-part video series
- Gary Wong, another aspirant vying for Election Committee constituency seat with Chan, believes democracy is just a means, with the end being to fix problems
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Hong Kong Legco election candidates up close: Gary Wong and Joseph Chan
The youngest candidate in Hong Kong’s coming legislative poll has pledged to support measures to help young people convicted of protest-related crimes integrate back into society if elected, despite his pro-Beijing party’s heavy condemnation of their acts.
Gary Wong Chi-him, a 38-year-old director of public affairs and marketing who is vying for a seat in the Election Committee constituency alongside Chan, said during the same segment that he would seek to engage more young people in politics in an attempt to rebuild trust with youth if voted in.
But both hopefuls ruled out pardoning convicted protesters such as minors, which some moderate candidates had suggested.
Chan argued doing so would send off “a very bad signal” that committing a crime was acceptable, with Wong adding: “We have to stick to the law. The success of Hong Kong comes with the rule of law.”