Michael Tien Puk-sun (Chinese: 田北辰; born 26 August 1950) is a Hong Kong politician, businessman and member of the Legislative Council for New Territories North West. He is the founder and chairman of the G2000 and U2 Clothing retail chains and former chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). He was formerly a member of the Liberal Party, which was led by his elder brother, James Tien, and a member of the New People's Party.
Michael Tien Puk-sun | |
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田北辰 | |
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| Member of the Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2022 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Constituency | New Territories North West |
| In office 1 October 2012 – 31 December 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Lee Wing-tat |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Constituency | New Territories West |
| Member of the Tsuen Wan District Council | |
| In office 1 January 2012 – 31 December 2019 | |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Lau |
| Constituency | Discovery Park |
| Chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation | |
| In office 24 December 2001 – 2 December 2007 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 August 1950 Hong Kong |
| Political party | Liberal Party (2008–10) New People's Party (2011–17) Roundtable (2017–present) |
| Spouse | Frances Tien |
| Relations | James Tien (brother) |
| Children | 1 son and 3 daughters |
| Parent | Francis Tien |
| Residence(s) | Shouson Hill, Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | Diocesan Boys' School Worcester Academy Cornell University Harvard Business School |
| Occupation | Politician Businessman |
| Website | www |
| Michael Tien | |||||||||||
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| Chinese | 田北辰 | ||||||||||
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History
editTien was appointed as the chairman of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) in December 2001 amid public criticism on his predecessor, K. Y. Yeung. He proposed and implemented administrative reforms that enhanced KCRC's transparency and accountability; he regularly attended Legco meeting and explained the company's policies and decisions.[1] In 2006, Tien resigned as chairman of the KCRC due to disputes with other directors over his management style.[2]
Tien joined the Liberal Party in 2008 and became District Officer for Kowloon West. He quit the party in 2010 and started the New People's Party with Regina Ip, of which he became the deputy chairman.[3]
In the 2017 Chief Executive election, Tien supported his party chairwoman Regina Ip. He complained the election had "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand", referring to the Liaison Office. Tien inclined his support for John Tsang after Ip dropped out, although Ip endorsed Carrie Lam on the last day before the election.[4][5] Tien eventually quit the party on 10 April with six District Councillors.[6]
In the 2019 District Council elections, Tien lost his Tsuen Wan District Council seat following a rout of pro-Beijing candidates amidst the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.[7]
In December 2021, it was reported that Tien was eligible to vote four times in the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, yielding 0.0328896% of the total voting value (elected seats), which is 6618 times more than the value of an average voter's total voting value.[8]
Background and education
editTien attended Diocesan Boys' School and spent a year at Worcester Academy in the United States.[9] Tien has a degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Property ownership
editAccording to Tien's January 2022 declaration of assets, he owns property in Hong Kong, mainland China, and the United States.[10]
Current posts
edit- Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (New Territories North West (2021 constituency))[11]
- Member of National People’s Congress, PRC (Hong Kong Deputy)
- Chairman of Employees Retraining Board (ERB)
- Chairman of Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR)
- Member of Manpower Development Committee (MDC)
- Member of Education Commission (EC)
- Chairman of Retail Industry Working Group under the Skills Upgrading Scheme (EDB)
- Supervisor of David Li Kwok Po College
Previous posts
edit- Chairman of Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC)
- Chairman of the Privatization Sub-group of the Business Advisory Group (BAG), under the Financial Secretary’s Office
- Chairman of Wholesale, Retail, Import & Export Training Board, Vocational Training Council (VTC)
- Chairman of Working Group on Professional Relevance Advisory Committee on Teacher Education & Qualification (ACTEQ)
- Chairman of Advisory Committee to School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Member of Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority
- Council Member of Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC)
- Member of Language Fund Advisory Committee (LFAC), Education Department
- Member of Tsuen Wan District Council (Discovery Park Constituency)
- Alternate Member of Listing Committee, Hong Kong Stock Exchange
- Member of Hong Kong Sports Development Board
- Director of The Community Chest of Hong Kong
- Chairman, Liberal Party Kowloon West Regional Office
References
edit- ^ Yeung, Rikkie L. K. (2005). "Public Enterprise Governance: KCR Corporation and Its Governance Controversies". Public Management Review. 7 (4): 580. doi:10.1080/14719030500362579. ISSN 1471-9037. S2CID 153715976.
- ^ Michael Ng; Carrie Chan & Wendy Leung (13 March 2006). "Tien resigns amid feud". The Standard. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Sun, Nikki (17 January 2017). "'Invisible hand' interfering in Hong Kong chief executive race, NPP deputy chair Michael Tien says". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017.
The upcoming race for Hong Kong's top job has "lost its shape" due to the increasing interference of "an invisible hand", according to New People's Party deputy chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun [...] Tien said many election committee members, himself included, had received phone calls asking them to nominate certain candidates. This was despite Tien's party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee being one of the contenders.
- ^ "Carrie Lam aims to 'reignite' Hong Kong as she officially announces candidacy for top job". South China Morning Post. 16 January 2017.
- ^ "'Don't ask us to quit': Chief executive hopeful Regina Ip stands firm on candidacy in overcrowded field". South China Morning Post. 17 January 2017.
- ^ 【新民黨分裂】直播田北辰宣佈退黨：因了解而分開. Apple Daily (in Traditional Chinese). 14 November 2016.
- ^ "2019 District Councils Election – Election Results (Tsuen Wan)". Government of Hong Kong.
- ^ FactWire (15 December 2021). "Factwire: 41 privileged voters have 7,200 times greater power than a regular Hong Kong voter following election revamp". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ HK Magazine ‘First Person’, 6 December 2012
- ^ "How well can Hong Kong's affluent lawmakers represent ordinary residents?". South China Morning Post. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ 'Substance matters' to voters: Michael Tien