Jasper Tsang
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President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 October 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Rita Fan |
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| In office 1992 – 2003 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Ma Lik |
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| Born | 1947 Guangzhou, Republic of China |
| Nationality | Hong Kong Chinese |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong |
Jasper Tsang Yok-sing GBS JP (Chinese: 曾鈺成, Pinyin: Zeng Yucheng) (born 1947 in Guangzhou, Republic of China with family roots in Shunde, Guangdong) was the founding Chairman (1992-2003) of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the largest pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong. Since 1997 he has been at the forefront of the pro-Beijing party's move to a 'grass roots' focus.[1] In October 2008, he was appointed President of Legislative Council.
He is also the older brother of Tsang Tak-sing, most notable for his participation in the Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots.
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[edit] Biography
Tsang received his primary and secondary education at prestigious St. Paul's College, and graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1968. He later trained as a teacher at the University of Hong Kong and began his teaching career at Pui Kiu Middle School, a "pro-Beijing" secondary school. He obtained a master's degree in education in 1983, and worked up to become the principal of the school in 1986. In 1998 he left his position at the school to become a full-time politician.
[edit] Career
Tsang's involvement in politics began in 1976, when he was appointed a member of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
He became a member of the Conference's national committee in 1993. He took an active part in the consultative activities when the Hong Kong Basic Law was drafted in the late 1980s and was subsequently appointed to the committee responsible for the preparatory work for the establishment of Hong Kong.
He was also a Council Member of the Open University of Hong Kong, a non-executive director of the Securities and Futures Commission, Hong Kong, and the Supervisor of Pui Kiu Middle School, where he formerly served as the principal. He was also the supervisor of a newly established direct-subsidised school - Pui Kiu College.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Legislative Council in 1995, with his loss being blamed on revelations that he had secured Canadian passports for his wife and children, leading to accusations from political opponents that he could leave for Canada if the 1997 handover did not go well.
Tsang is elected into the Legislative Council from the Kowloon West Geographical Constituency via direct election. Following the DAB's setback in the District Council elections in November 2003, he resigned the DAB chairmanship.
In 2008 Tsang was elected to be President of the Legislative Council by the newly elected legislators from the 2008 election.[2]
[edit] Pro-Beijing DAB
Tsang was the founder of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) in 1992.[2] His party is perceived as pro-Government in a number of public policies. Most notably, the DAB was largely supportive of the Government's controversial proposed legislation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law. This drew heavy criticism from the pro-democracy camp and was the major target of the 1 July 2003 protest march by 500,000 Hong Kongers.
After the mass protest, Tsang opined that many of those who took to the streets had been misled. The comment caused widespread anger among the public, and although Tsang publicly apologized a few days later, his image and his party's popularity were severely affected.
Tsang shouldered the responsibility for the poor performance of his party in the 2003 District Council election, and resigned from the party's chairmanship in December 2003, to be succeeded by Ma Lik.
| “ | "Since the foundation of the DAB, I have been asked whether I am a Communist Party member many times. And I can say frankly, I have never answered this question. The reason is, Hong Kong people's attitude to the concept of the Communist Party is very negative.."[2] | ” |
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—Tsang, responding on CCP membership |
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Fellow DAB vice-chairman Lau Kong-wah have mentioned that the public is interested in this disclosure.[3] Democrats Leung Kwok-hung and Albert Chan have also responded that being a Legco president is a sober business and that people cannot be misled and lied to.[3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ The University Of Hong Kong Staff. Growing With Hong Kong: The University and Its Graduates, the First 90 Years. [2003] (2003). Hong Kong University. ISBN 9622096131.
- ^ a b c South China Morning Post. "SCMP." Jasper Tsang elected new president. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
- ^ a b South China Morning Post. "SCMP." DAB may press Legco president on Communist membership. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
- ^ HKStandard. "The Standard.com." Not in HK, dear comrade. Retrieved on 2008-10-15.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Rita Fan |
President of the Legislative Council 2008 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by N/A |
Legislative Councillor for the Geographical Constituency for Kowloon West 1998-present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Arthur Li |
Hong Kong order of precedence | Succeeded by Denise Yue |
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Party Established |
Chairman of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong 10 July 1992 – 9 December 2003 |
Succeeded by Ma Lik |
