Omicron: not such a happy birthday in end for ‘party animal’ Witman Hung and 170 guests sent to Hong Kong quarantine camp
- Friends say flamboyant personality likes nothing better than a big party with wine and karaoke
- No need for Hung to resign from NPC, says Tam Yiu-chung, sole Hong Kong delegate to China’s top legislative body
If there is one thing Witman Hung Wai-man enjoys, according to those who know him well, it is having a big birthday bash with many guests, where drinks flow, karaoke fills the air and everyone has a good time.
People close to the flamboyant personality, who is well connected in political and business circles and once harboured ambitions of becoming a lawmaker, were not at all surprised that he chose to celebrate his 53rd birthday in style on Monday.
“He is a party animal and throws a birthday party practically every year,” said a source familiar with him. “He loves singing karaoke and invites friends to join him often.”
But everything unravelled for the birthday boy and his crowd of guests who gathered at a Spanish restaurant in Wan Chai amid a rise in coronavirus infections and just days before it was announced the city’s social-distancing measures would be tightened.
As the scandal exploded this week, Hung – who is principal liaison officer for Hong Kong at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority and a city delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) – found himself facing a career crisis.
Many of his guests are in a bind too. Among those quarantined are Director of Immigration Au Ka-wang, home affairs chief Caspar Tsui Ying-wai and at least 20 newly elected lawmakers who were due to attend the first sitting of the Legislative Council next week.
Contacted by the Post on Friday, Hung said he was at Penny’s Bay and deluged by inquiries from his guests, who had all been ordered to join him there as they had been classified as close contacts of suspected Covid-19 cases.
“I am too busy and don’t have time to think about whether I should resign from the Qianhai Authority,” he said.
On Thursday night, he had apologised for the “inconvenience” caused by his party and its impact on Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic work, saying: “I will deeply reflect on my acts.”
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the NPC Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, said he had received a text from Hung on Friday, apologising for the trouble he had caused.
“Hung said he had been organising a similar birthday party in the past and this year’s event was not special,” Tam said. “Hung has said sorry for triggering the saga. I don’t see any need for him to resign as a deputy to the NPC.”
Monday’s party at the Spanish tapas bar and restaurant Reserva Iberica saw guests toasting Hung with red wine, with pictures showing a large crowd in purple masks – his favourite colour.
A photo obtained by the Post shows guests unmasked, with Hung singing next to accountant Ellen Tsang Fung-chu, a member of the city’s powerful Election Committee which has sent 40 lawmakers to Legco and is charged with picking the city’s chief executive.
Two sources said Hung had hosted similar birthday parties in the past, although last year’s was cancelled because of the pandemic.
“He enjoys his birthday very much and likes to invite a lot of people to his birthday party,” one source said.
Monday’s event, however, drew the wrath of city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as it flew in the face of the government’s own advice for people to avoid large gatherings.
Married with children, Hung is Hong Kong’s point man at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority, serving as a bridge between the body and the city’s business and political community.
A veteran information technology professional and angel investor, he previously held senior positions at Jardine OneSolutions, Atos Origin, AT&T and KPMG.
He is an independent non-executive director of four listed companies – IT firm VSTECS Holdings, hotelier Sino Hotels (Holdings), mobile phone maker Sprocomm Intelligence and restaurant operator LH Group.
An insider said the pro-Beijing Hung had long hoped to run for a Legco seat, but could not muster enough support from the city’s pro-establishment camp.
“He eventually switched to running to become an NPC local deputy and finally succeeded,” the source said.
Another source described Hung as a “people person” with a strong network in IT and political circles.
“He got to know a lot of people in the IT sector when he headed the Internet Professional Association, before joining and eventually taking the helm of the Y. Elites Association,” the source said, referring to the Beijing-friendly group formed by scions of wealthy families and young professionals.
“His network expanded further when he took up the post at the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority in 2014.”
The authority was set up in 2010 as a non-profit agency under the Shenzhen municipal government and tasked with managing the Qianhai economic zone’s development.
A friend who preferred anonymity praised Hung, saying: “Despite his pro-Beijing background, he is very liberal and open-minded.”
The friend also said Hung came from a humble background. “He is very concerned about Hong Kong’s youth and hopes to find ways to help them,” he said.
Originally from Shanghai, Hung graduated from Polytechnic University with a higher diploma in maths, statistics and computing. He later obtained law degrees from Renmin University of China and a doctorate in business administration from Bulacan State University in the Philippines.
Additional reporting by Jeffie Lam, Denise Tsang and Gary Cheung.
