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Ng Kang-chung

The president of Hong Kong’s legislature has urged fellow members to be “more rigorous in their conduct” to meet society’s expectations after a lawmaker resigned following his arrest on suspicion of drink-driving.
Addressing the arrest for the first time publicly on Saturday, Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king said William Wong Kam-fai’s resignation the previous day reflected his willingness to accept responsibility.
“I fully understand and comprehend the high expectations that the public has for Legco members. [Wong’s] incident has already sparked intense discussion in society and as the [Legco] president, I have been busy dealing with this matter over the past few days,” Lee said.
“Wong’s resignation shows his commitment to responsibility, and the case will probably be handled in court in accordance with the law and regulations.
“Every Legco member is aware of the high expectations society has for members and public officers. I hope all members can learn from this incident, hold themselves to a stricter standard, be more cautious in fulfilling their duties and be more rigorous in their conduct.”
Wong, also an associate dean at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s faculty of engineering, was arrested on June 29 after he reportedly crashed his vehicle into two parked private cars on campus. Police arrested him after he failed a breathalyser test. The incident came to light on Wednesday.
He faces four allegations: driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident.
The university suspended him from his administrative duties, citing the seriousness of the allegations.
In a statement on Friday, Wong said that he was “deeply sorry” for the trouble he had caused to both Legco and society, adding he had resigned from Legco with immediate effect “to avoid affecting the operation” of the legislature.
Ex-lawmaker Tam Yiu-chung, formerly the city’s sole member of Beijing’s top legislative body, described the incident as a “profound lesson” for all Legco members.
“The incident was very inappropriate and should not have taken place at all. Lawmakers should be careful with their words and actions, and we hope that similar incidents will not happen again,” he said.
In response to the South China Morning Post’s inquiry about whether a by-election would be held following Wong’s resignation, a government spokesman said on Saturday that authorities would maintain communication with the Electoral Affairs Commission.
While Lee said arrangements were up to the government, Tam said a by-election would not be necessary, as the loss of one member would not significantly affect Legco’s operation.

During the previous term, a vacant seat was left unfilled for three years. Stephen Wong Yuen-shan, elected to the Election Committee constituency, resigned in late 2022 to join the government as head of its think tank, and his seat has remained vacant.
At a Legco meeting in 2024, the then constitutional affairs minister Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said the government adopted “the principle of enhancing efficiency and managing our finances prudently” to “achieve cost-effectiveness” when considering whether or when to hold a by-election.
William Wong is also a delegate to the country’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He has not indicated whether he will resign or remain in the national body.
He has not responded to the SCMP’s requests for comment.
Tam said it was up to Wong to decide how to handle his CPPCC membership, adding that it would be fair to wait until the legal process had concluded.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant at Beijing’s semi-official think tank, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said it was rare for the body, whose members are appointed, to remove a delegate.
“But we cannot rule out that Wong will quit in order not to make the body embarrassed,” he said, adding that the former lawmaker’s age and the controversy would likely affect any reappointment.
In 2014, then-lawmaker James Tien Pei-chun was stripped of his CPPCC membership during the Occupy Central protests after calling on then-chief executive Leung Chun-ying to step down.
In a statement at the time, the body said Tien had “seriously violated” its charter and revoked his membership.
“The nature of Tien’s case was much more serious than Wong’s because Tien questioned the governance of the chief executive,” Lau said.
The CPPCC does not wield formal power in China but advises the National People’s Congress. Membership is often viewed as a sign of Beijing’s favour.
The body holds its annual plenary meeting in March, while its standing committee usually meets four times a year.
The CPPCC charter states that members should “maintain integrity and self-discipline”, and that the body should “strengthen management over the performance of duties by members, establish records on members’ performance and adopt appropriate means to issue updates on performance”.
Article 37 states that anyone who has seriously harmed the interests of the people, been subject to disciplinary action, been sentenced by law or is under investigation for a suspected legal violation may not be nominated to continue membership.
Article 38 also states that any member whose actions run counter to public morality or are unbecoming of a member should be subject to oral or written inquiries, and should be instructed to resign if they fail to correct their mistakes after such a caution.


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Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong Legco chief urges higher standards after lawmaker’s drink-driving arrest

Legislative Council president Starry Lee says William Wong’s case has sparked intense discussion in society as she reminded members of the high expectations the public has of them. Photo: Dickson Lee

William Wong has been suspended from his role at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has resigned from Legco after his drink‑driving arrest. Photo: Handout

Lawmaker William Wong failed to tell Legco about arrest, set for committee probe

Lawmaker Wong Kam-fai attends the handover flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Ronny Tong (pictured) has said that if Wong drove away from the scene in an attempt to lower his blood alcohol concentration or avoid a breathalyser test, it could amount to perverting the course of justice. Photo: Sun Yeung

William Wong becomes first to resign from Legco over scandal in 26 years

Lawmaker William Wong has also been suspended by CUHK. Photo: Handout

The previous lawmaker to resign over a scandal was Gary Cheng, who quit shortly after winning a seat in September 2000. Photo: SCMP

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Starry Lee calls on members to learn from incident involving William Wong and be more rigorous in their conduct to meet public expectations


Starry Lee calls on members to learn from incident involving William Wong and be more rigorous in their conduct to meet public expectations.


Hong Kong Legco chief urges higher standards after lawmaker’s drink-driving arrest

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Starry Lee calls on members to learn from incident involving William Wong and be more rigorous in their conduct to meet public expectations

Starry Lee calls on members to learn from incident involving William Wong and be more rigorous in their conduct to meet public expectations