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The first woman in Legislative Council of Hong Kong continues to fight for democracy

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5 years ago

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Last month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) published a story on the life of Ms Emily Lau Wai-hing, a former journalist who later became the first woman directly elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in the 1991 elections.

The lengthy article narrated the triumphs and tribulations of Ms Lau, who had learned very early in her life from her father that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which came to power in 1949, posed a real existential threat to their safety and their wealth.

Ms Lau’s early life

According to Ms Lau, her half-brother was unhappy about moving from Guangzhou to Hong Kong in 1948 and therefore decided to return to China. Unfortunately, the CCP had arrested him and he was held for ransom as their terms were, “Send back all the money you have and we will let this man go.” Fearing the safety of their son, the family willingly surrendered everything, which ultimately left them penniless.

Ms Lau’s father died when she was young, and being part of a big family of 15 children, she was then separated from her brothers and sisters, and was sent to live with her aunt in Wan Chai.

There, her generous uncle paid for her tertiary pursuits at the University of Southern California. Being inspired by Robert Upshur Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the famed Watergate scandal, she pursued and completed a degree in broadcast journalism in 1976.

Life as a journalist  

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Ms Lau was set on finding a job aligned to journalism.

Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), a Hong Kong television broadcasting company, offered her a job but as the pay was not good, she declined the offer.

Later, she approached the news editor of SCMP, Mr Robin Hutcheon. She remembers him saying, “You’re in luck, we are looking for a senior reporter, but you will do.”

She worked with SCMP for a couple of years and then went to work at TVB for three years.

Working with TVB allowed Ms Lau to cover stories such as the Sino-British negotiations, and had the opportunity to interview Edward Youde, the chief clerk at the Foreign Office, who was appointed by the new governor of Hong Kong.

Her stint with TVB had opened doors for Ms Lau to branch out and subsequently work with BBC where she was assigned to work for Newsnight, and then the Breakfast Time.

After a year, the British Broadcasting Corporation chose to extend her contract. But she declined the offer citing that she wanted to return to Hong Kong.

Beginning of Political Career

Subsequently, in 1984, Ms Lau went to London to interview Foreign Office Minister Timothy Renton, as she was working for Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER),

In the interview, Ms Lau posed stinging questions as to why the British were not granting Hong Kong democracy. At the end, Ms Lau recalls Mr Timothy asking her, “Emily, will you stand for election?” To this, she responded by saying, “Yes minister, but where are the elections? You Brits are not giving us the chance.”

With the passage of time, direct elections were held for the first time in Hong Kong in 1991. And Ms Lau wanted to contest. However, to avoid a conflict of interest, she had to resign from FEER and step down as the chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

She campaigned in Sha Tin, New Territories East, and won; thus becoming the first woman ever to be directly elected.

Ms Lau’s political escapade

In the interview with SCMP, Ms Lau talks of the many uphill battles she had as a Legislator. She says that the Hong Kong Legislature had a practice where members could table their own bills, often referred to as Private Member Bills. And one of her biggest test came when she tabled a bill calling for a fully elected legislature.

Her bill was debated on the same day as Governor Chris Patten’s bill on how to reform the functional constituencies. However, Ms Lau’s bill was defeated by a vote.

Ms Lau recalls that as a legislator she had to face extreme scrutiny from the Chinese government on her movements. She had to apply for a home visit permit to visit mainland China. She added that exemption was only given when she visited China as a member of the Legislative Committee delegation, where she would be given special dispensation.

Ms Lau has a distinction of having served the Hong Kong Legislature for a quarter   century, which basically means that she won 7 terms without losing a single election. In 2016, however, Ms Lau finally stepped down from the Legislative Committee.

There is an interesting story that Ms Lau shared with the interviewer. Apparently while having a conversation with someone once, that person said, “Ms Lau, you stepped down, the government should give you some decoration.”

To this, she had answered, “No need. Even if they did, I would not take it. I think my supporters wouldn’t want me to take it.”

In all this, her position was, “I don’t need anything from anybody, I speak my mind and say whatever I like.”

Ms Lau as Board Member of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group 

On retirement, Ms Lau sat on the Board of Directors of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, which was formed in Hong Kong in 2007.

Recalling this experience, Ms Lau says, “I always say my job is to give a voice to the voiceless. Some youngsters are upset with us for not being able to deliver democracy. Yes, we didn’t get democracy, but don’t say our efforts are futile. Had it not been for the millions of Hong Kong people who have fought for decades, Hong Kong could become like Macau within days, and maybe like Guangzhou within weeks.”

The SCMP story ends with Ms Lau reminding sceptics not to downplay the efforts that have been made to ensure personal safety, the rule of law, an independent judiciary in Hong Kong.

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TJC issued 3rd POFMA order under Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods

The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) was issued its third POFMA correction order on 5 October 2024 under the direction of Minister K Shanmugam for alleged falsehoods about death penalty processes. TJC has rejected the government’s claims, describing POFMA as a tool to suppress dissent.

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5 days ago

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6 October 2024

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The Transformative Justice Collective (TJC), an advocacy group opposed to the death penalty, was issued its third Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) correction direction on 5 October 2024.

The correction was ordered by Minister for Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, following TJC’s publication of what the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) alleges to be false information regarding Singapore’s death row procedures and the prosecution of drug trafficking cases.

These statements were made on TJC’s website and across its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter).

In addition to TJC, civil activist Kokila Annamalai was also issued a correction direction by the minister over posts she made on Facebook and X between 4 and 5 October 2024.

According to MHA, these posts echoed similar views on the death penalty and the legal procedures for drug-related offences, and contained statements that the ministry claims are false concerning the treatment of death row prisoners and the state’s legal responsibilities in drug trafficking cases.

MHA stated that the posts suggested the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily, without due regard to legal processes, and that the state does not bear the burden of proving drug trafficking charges.

However, these alleged falsehoods are contested by MHA, which maintains that the government strictly follows legal procedures, scheduling executions only after all legal avenues have been exhausted, and that the state always carries the burden of proof in such cases.

In its official release, MHA emphasised, “The prosecution always bears the legal burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and this applies to all criminal offences, including drug trafficking.”

It also pointed to an article on the government fact-checking site Factually to provide further clarification on the issues raised.

As a result of these allegations, both TJC and Annamalai are now required to post correction notices. TJC must display these corrections on its website and social media platforms, while Annamalai is required to carry similar notices on her Facebook and X posts.

TikTok has also been issued a targeted correction direction, requiring the platform to communicate the correction to all Singapore-based users who viewed the related TJC post.

In a statement following the issuance of the correction direction, TJC strongly rejected the government’s claims. The group criticised the POFMA law, calling it a “political weapon used to crush dissent,” and argued that the order was more about the exercise of state power than the pursuit of truth. “We have put up the Correction Directions not because we accept any of what the government asserts, but because of the grossly unjust terms of the POFMA law,” TJC stated.

TJC further argued that the government’s control over Singapore’s media landscape enables it to push pro-death penalty views without opposition. The group also stated that it would not engage in prolonged legal battles over the POFMA correction orders, opting to focus on its abolitionist work instead.

This marks the third time TJC has been subject to a POFMA correction direction in recent months.

The group was previously issued two orders in August 2024 for making similar statements concerning death row prisoners.

In its latest statement, MHA noted that despite being corrected previously, TJC had repeated what the ministry views as falsehoods.

MHA also criticised TJC for presenting the perspective of a convicted drug trafficker without acknowledging the harm caused to victims of drug abuse.

Annamalai, a prominent civil rights activist, is also known for her involvement in various social justice campaigns. She was charged in June 2024 for her participation in a pro-Palestinian procession near the Istana. Her posts, now subject to correction, contained information similar to those presented by TJC regarding death penalty procedures and drug-related cases.

POFMA, which was introduced in 2019, allows the government to issue correction directions when it deems falsehoods are being spread online.

Critics of the law argue that it can be used to suppress dissent, while the government asserts that it is a necessary tool for combating misinformation. The law has been frequently invoked against opposition politicians and activists.

As of October 2024, Minister K Shanmugam has issued 17 POFMA directions, more than any other minister. Shanmugam, who was instrumental in introducing POFMA, is followed by National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who has issued 10 POFMA directions.

Major media outlets, including The Straits Times, Channel News Asia, and Mothership, have covered the POFMA directions. However, as of the time of writing, none have included TJC’s response rejecting the government’s allegations.

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Hotel Properties Limited suspends trading ahead of Ong Beng Seng’s court hearing

Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has halted trading ahead of his court appearance today (4 October). The announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at about 7.45am, citing a pending release of an announcement. Mr Ong faces one charge of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts and another charge of obstruction of justice. He is due in court at 2.30pm.

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1 week ago

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4 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), the property and hotel developer co-founded by Mr Ong Beng Seng, has requested a trading halt ahead of the Singapore tycoon’s scheduled court appearance today (4 October) afternoon.

This announcement was made by HPL’s company secretary at approximately 7.45am, stating that the halt was due to a pending release of an announcement.

Mr Ong, who serves as HPL’s managing director and controlling shareholder, faces one charge under Section 165, accused of abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, as well as one charge of obstruction of justice.

He is set to appear in court at 2.30pm on 4 October.

Ong’s charges stem from his involvement in a high-profile corruption case linked to former Singaporean transport minister S Iswaran.

The 80-year-old businessman was named in Iswaran’s initial graft charges earlier this year.

These charges alleged that Iswaran had corruptly received valuable gifts from Ong, including tickets to the 2022 Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, flights, and a hotel stay in Doha.

These gifts were allegedly provided to advance Ong’s business interests, particularly in securing contracts with the Singapore Tourism Board for the Singapore GP and the ABBA Voyage virtual concert.

Although Iswaran no longer faces the original corruption charges, the prosecution amended them to lesser charges under Section 165.

Iswaran pleaded guilty on 24 September, 2024, to four counts under this section, which covered over S$400,000 worth of gifts, including flight tickets, sports event access, and luxury items like whisky and wines.

Additionally, he faced one count of obstructing justice for repaying Ong for a Doha-Singapore flight shortly before the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) became involved.

On 3 October, Iswaran was sentenced to one year in jail by presiding judge Justice Vincent Hoong.

The prosecution had sought a sentence of six to seven months for all charges, while the defence had asked for a significantly reduced sentence of no more than eight weeks.

Ong, a Malaysian national based in Singapore, was arrested by CPIB in July 2023 and released on bail shortly thereafter. Although no charges were initially filed against him, Ong’s involvement in the case intensified following Iswaran’s guilty plea.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had earlier indicated that it would soon make a decision regarding Ong’s legal standing, which has now led to the current charges.

According to the statement of facts read during Iswaran’s conviction, Ong’s case came to light as part of a broader investigation into his associates, which revealed Iswaran’s use of Ong’s private jet for a flight from Singapore to Doha in December 2022.

CPIB investigators uncovered the flight manifest and seized the document.

Upon learning that the flight records had been obtained, Ong contacted Iswaran, advising him to arrange for Singapore GP to bill him for the flight.

Iswaran subsequently paid Singapore GP S$5,700 for the Doha-Singapore business class flight in May 2023, forming the basis of his obstruction of justice charge.

Mr Ong is recognised as the figure who brought Formula One to Singapore in 2008, marking the first night race in the sport’s history.

He holds the rights to the Singapore Grand Prix. Iswaran was the chairman of the F1 steering committee and acted as the chief negotiator with Singapore GP on business matters concerning the race.

 

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