Wong Yun-kan, a former lawmaker representing the Agriculture and Fisheries constituency, announced his departure from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) on Thursday.
Wong is due to run as an independent for the Agriculture and Fisheries constituency again in the upcoming Legislative Council election, which would potentially pit him against Steven Ho Chun-yin from his former party, reported Stand News.
Wong told Ming Pao on Thursday that stories of him leaving the party had been circulating for about two months, and yet neither the China Liaison Office or the DAB have approached him to discuss the matter.
“What is the point of staying [in the DAB] if people no longer care about you?” said Wong.
Since his first win in the Agriculture and Fisheries functional constituency in 1998, Wong stayed in the position for four consecutive terms before being succeeded by Ho – a member of his own party – in 2012.
Wong has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction towards Ho’s performance as a lawmaker in the past, saying that Ho neglected complaints from various sectors, which then turned to other parties for assistance. Wong claimed many sectors were hoping he would return to the political scene to represent them.
In response, Ho said that he need to consult public opinion before running for re-election, but if Wong is planning to run against him, it is natural for Wong not to make positive comments about him.
Starry Lee Wai-king, chairperson for the DAB, said she heard about Wong’s plan to depart from the DAB, but claimed she had not received an official notice regarding the matter.
Wong’s departure from the DAB is one of many recent cases in which members of the pro-establishment party expressed an interest to run as independent.
Earlier, lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun expressed his disappointment that the DAB would not put him at the top of a list of candidates in the upcoming election, which would effectively prevent him from being re-elected. Chung eventually decided to stay in the party.
