A Hong Kong Legislative Council candidate who told an election forum he “has been fighting to get an MTR station” in Sai Wan Ho has achieved his goal even before the polls are held — the station opened in 1985.
Candidates from the Hong Kong Island East constituency appeared in iCable News’ election forum on Thursday evening and in one segment were asked to answer three questions to test their local knowledge. The results were decidedly shaky.
Edward Leung from the main pro-Beijing party the DAB was asked about the destination of ferries departing from Sai Wan Ho Ferry Pier.
“Sai Wan Ho at the moment has a lot of different transport [options], we have always been fighting to get an MTR station…” said Leung, who was born two months before the station there opened in May 1985.
The candidate was then told by the host that the correct answers were Kwun Tong and Sam Ka Tsuen in Lei Yue Mun. But he did not enlighten Leung about the existence of the MTR.
Leung was also asked to name three hospitals in the Hong Kong East Cluster and the number of Election Committee sectors which are formed using individual votes. The candidate failed to give correct answers to both questions.
Another candidate, Stanley Ng from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU), also answered all three questions incorrectly.
When asked where to change MTR trains on a journey from Taikoo to Kwun Tong by MTR, Ng selected North Point. The correct answer is Quarry Bay.
Jason Poon, a self-proclaimed non-pro-establishment candidate, also got all three questions wrong. When asked which place in Eastern District has the most transport modes, Poon answered “around Chai Wan MTR station.” The correct answers are North Point and Sai Wan Ho.
New People’s Party candidate Marcus Liu gave one correct answer out of three questions, the highest score among the four contenders. However, when asked about the tram fare for adults, Liu answered HK$2, instead of the correct answer of HK$2.60.
The December 19 election will be the first LegCo poll under a revamped system ordered by Beijing, which greatly reduces the number of popularly elected seats. Mainstream opposition parties have not put forward any candidates.
1 out of 15
Out of the 15 candidates in the four constituencies for which iCable News held election forums, Bill Tang from the HKFTU running in Kowloon East was the only person to answer all three questions correctly.
Li Ka-yan, running in the same constituency as Tang, was asked in an election forum held on Monday which place in Wong Tai Sin district had the worst rodent infestation. The self-proclaimed independent candidate answered “wet markets,” without giving an exact location.
In another forum for the Kowloon Central constituency broadcast on Tuesday, DAB leader Starry Lee, who ran in the District Council functional constituency in the last Legislative Council election, was asked which school will be closed due to falling student numbers .
“Which secondary school facing closure, this is possibly a problem faced by every district, I will continue to follow up on this matter,” said Lee, without naming any schools. The correct answer is Lung Cheung Government Secondary School.
Frederick Fung, running in Kowloon West, failed to give any correct answers to the three questions asked in an election forum aired on Wednesday.
Fung, a founding member of the pro-democracy Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood, was asked which district in Hong Kong has the most subdivided flats, to which he answered Sham Shui Po. The answer was Yau Tsim Mong, with Sham Shui Po coming second.
Candidates running the Kowloon East constituency also include Philip Wu, Chan Chun-hung, and Ngan Man-yu.
Candidates running in the Kowloon Central constituency also include Mandy Tam and Kitson Yeung.
Candidates running in the Kowloon West constituency also include Scott Leung and Vincent Cheng.
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