Dominic Lee Tsz-king (Chinese: 李梓敬; 22 January 1984) is a Hong Kong politician. He is a member of the New People's Party and a Legislative Council Member representing the New Territories North East. He is a former member of the Sham Shui Po District Council for Yau Yat Tsuen from 2015 to 2019 and the former chairman of the Liberal Party Youth Committee.
Dominic Lee | |
|---|---|
李梓敬 | |
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| Member of the Legislative Council | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2022 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Constituency | New Territories North East |
| Member of the Sham Shui Po District Council | |
| In office 1 January 2016 – 31 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jimmy Kwok |
| Succeeded by | Lau Wai-chung |
| Constituency | Yau Yat Tsuen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 January 1984 Hong Kong |
| Political party | New People's Party (2020–present) Civil Force (2020–present) Liberal Party (2009–2020) |
| Residence | Hong Kong |
| Education | Rice University (BS) |
| Occupation | Company director |
Biography
editLee was born in Hong Kong in 1984 to an upper-middle-class family. He studied at Diocesan Boys' School and the Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong before going abroad and graduated from Rice University in 2006 with a degree in economics. He worked as an assistant in his campus polling station for Democratic Party presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 and later worked as an intern for Democrat Al Green in the US House of Representatives.[1]
He joined the pro-business conservative Liberal Party in 2009 after he returned to Hong Kong. During the 2004 Hong Kong legislative election, he helped Liberal Party chairman James Tien win a seat representing New Territories East. Lee became the first chairman of the party's youth committee when it was established in 2011.
Lee is vocal about his conservative stances on the economy, immigration, and social issues. He is known for his strong words in opposition to universal retirement protection and was once criticized by an elderly woman over the topic during a legislative council public hearing, which went viral on the Internet.[citation needed]
In 2015, he supported the government's plan to scrap visa-free facility for Indians, defending the move as a "sacrifice to protect our borders".[2] In 2016, he led the Alliance Demanding Repatriation of Refugees against "fake" refugees from Southeast Asia coming into Hong Kong.[3] Moreover, he demanded quitting the United Nations Convention against Torture to block "fake" refugees from coming to Hong Kong.[4] In May that year, he led an anti-refugee protest which drew 100 to 200 people as well as counter-protesters.[5] Claiming that there was a refugee-led crime surge in Hong Kong and that South Asians should be locked up in internment camps, Access to Information requests from Justice Centre Hong Kong have debunked these fears as not being based upon any measurable increase in crime.[6]
In April 2016, he led a protest in Lan Kwai Fong against the Equal Opportunities Commission's ruling of "ladies' night" being discriminatory.[7] Lee supported bar and nightclub operators in favor of resuming ladies' night to avoid potential losses of revenue.
In the 2011 District Council elections, Lee ran in Shek Lei Extension but was defeated by Democratic Party incumbent Leung Kwok-wah. In the 2015 District Council elections, he ran in the Yau Yat Tsuen constituency and won against League of Social Democrats candidate Dickson Chau Ka-faat, succeeding council chairman Jimmy Kwok Chun-wah as member of the Sham Shui Po District Council.
In 2016, he was nominated by the Liberal Party to run in the 2016 Hong Kong legislative election in New Territories East with the support of incumbent legislator and party honorary chairman James Tien. However, the Liberal party ticket narrowly missed out on winning the seat.
In 2018, Lee claimed that civil unions and gay marriage will “encourage” people to adopt LGBTQ lifestyles in response to Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal's ruling which stated that spousal visas may be granted to same-sex couples in civil unions.[8]
In the 2019 District Council elections, Lee narrowly lost his District Council seat in Yau Yat Tsuen to independent barrister Lau Wai-chung by 96 votes.[9]
While an active member of the Liberal Party, Lee ran for the 2020 primary of the New People's Party for the Legislative Council election in the New Territories East constituency.[10] As a result, his membership with the Liberal Party was revoked by party leader Felix Chung.[11] Later that night, Lee announced his resignation as the member of Liberal Party[12] and joined New People's Party and Civil Force,[13][14] a district-based political coalition that was established in 2014[15] by Chairperson of the New People's Party, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.[16]
In March 2021, after some companies boycotted purchasing cotton from Xinjiang due to suspected human rights violations, Lee said that some leaders of Western countries and Western media had falsely understood the situation in Xinjiang and have leveled allegations without evidence.[17]
In the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election, Lee was elected to the Legislative Council representing New Territories North East (2021 constituency) with 45.35 percent of the vote. Lee is one among five members of the New People's Party to be elected to the Legislative Council and will serve a four-year term.
In April 2023, a survey of more than 1000 Hongkongers showed that only 4% of respondents recognized Lee as a lawmaker.[18]
In April 2024, Lee criticized former Chief Executive Carrie Lam's office space, saying "Why does a former chief executive need to rent such space?"[19]
References
edit- ^ "【林‧作人】堅守政治理念的李梓敬（林作）". Next Plus. 22 February 2016.
- ^ "HK reportedly drops scrapping visa-free facility for Indians". Deccan Herald. 19 May 2015.
- ^ Leung, Michael (18 January 2016). "Hong Kong's 'fake' refugee problem is just bigotry in disguise". Hong Kong Free Press.
- ^ "NGOs hit back as CY says gov't may quit UN torture convention to block 'fake' refugees". Hong Kong Free Press. 14 January 2016.
- ^ "HKFP Lens: 'Gas them' – Activists satirise anti-refugee campaigners at competing rallies". Hong Kong Free Press. 9 May 2016.
- ^ "Guest Post: A Data Driven Look At Refugee Crime | Open Data Hong Kong - 香港開放數據". Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ Lau, Kenneth (19 April 2016). "Party people move for ladies' night". The Standard.
- ^ "Anti-gay politician Dominic Lee claims same-sex marriage 'encourages' LGBTQ lifestyles". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "2019 District Councils Election – Election Results (Sham Shui Po)". Government of Hong Kong. 25 November 2019.
- ^ "【01獨家】新民黨擬推李梓敬選新東 取代容海恩 李：下周有決定". 6 March 2020.
- ^ "李梓敬參加新民黨初選 鍾國斌：如不退黨中常委將開會革黨籍".
- ^ "【立會選舉】參與新民黨初選 李梓敬宣布退出自由黨". Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "【立法會選舉】李梓敬「轉會」公民力量避談自由黨：感激過往栽培". 28 March 2020.
- ^ 彭焯煒; 翟睿敏 (20 March 2020). "【立法會選舉】新民黨初選 李梓敬取9提名「入閘」 葉劉獲豁免". Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ 新民黨宣布與公民力量結成聯盟. Radio Television Hong Kong (in Chinese). 12 February 2014.
- ^ 新民黨與公民力量結盟葉劉淑儀否認吞併. Metro Radio (in Chinese). 12 February 2014.
- ^ Kong, Dimsumdaily Hong (27 March 2021). "Chairman of Civil Force spotted wearing Nike shoes to protest against H&M for boycotting Xinjiang cotton". Dimsum Daily. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Mok, Lea (14 April 2023). "Half of Hongkongers unable to name any serving lawmaker, poll finds". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Annual operating costs for offices of ex-Hong Kong leaders reach HK$21 million". South China Morning Post. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.