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Alice Wu

The government has a lot on its plate right now, especially with public consultations under way for the chief executive’s last policy address of his current term and for the city’s first five-year plan. But there is an urgent matter it must address as soon as possible.
The resignation of William Wong Kam-fai from the Legislative Council means there is a vacant seat for the Election Committee constituency. There should not be any delays in filling the seat. The longer the government stays silent over those arrangements, the greater the potential for political damage.
The circumstances that sparked Wong’s resignation – his arrest on suspicion of drink-driving and a hit-and-run – are unfortunate for both Legco and the administration.
There is no arguing over his decision to quit; it is best for everyone. At the very least, Wong resigned without having put the Legco Supervisory Committee to work. Wong is innocent until proven guilty. But letting the legal process run its course could have had political ramifications for not only himself but also the legislature.
So in the interest of not letting the incident and Legco’s proceedings over the matter impact the government’s work and public image, Wong’s decision to resign was the right one.
However, there are different opinions on whether Wong’s seat should be filled immediately. Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee suggested by-elections should be held as soon as possible.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, and Tam Yiu-chung, formerly Hong Kong’s sole representative to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, seem to think differently. Lau and Tam are not known to be careless with their words, which is why Hongkongers should take note. Both men said that the loss of Wong’s seat was unlikely to significantly affect the legislature’s operations.

Lau said that the cost of holding by-elections may cause public discontent. It is important to note that using money as a reason to not hold by-elections isn’t new. When Stephen Wong Yuen-shan vacated his seat to join the government as its think tank chief in 2022, Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, then constitutional affairs minister, told lawmakers that a decision would be made on whether to hold a by-election keeping financial prudence in mind. In the end, a by-election was not held and Stephen Wong’s seat was left vacant for about three years.
Earlier in 2022, however, by-elections had been held for four seats vacated by Election Committee constituency lawmakers who had joined the government, costing the public purse about HK$90 million (US$11.5 million).
Weighing representation against cost is not politically sound. If the legislature can function perfectly well with one less lawmaker, one might ask whether the council has too many seats? It’s a Pandora’s box no government should open.
Such reasoning not only erodes the public’s confidence in the political system, it also degrades the relationship between administration officials and lawmakers. Recall how Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po dismissed his failure to secure lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu’s vote for his budget. Chan called it “irrelevant”.
If we believe that in our electoral system each member plays an important role, not a single seat should be deemed irrelevant.


Tam said that since Wong was from the Election Committee constituency, as opposed to a functional constituency, which needed to reflect the views of a sector, the seat didn’t need to be filled. That’s also problematic because it raises the question of who Election Committee lawmakers represent? Do they not have to answer to their constituency?
The make-up of the legislature was carefully determined. Taking away one member from the Election Committee constituency would surely affect it in the most basic sense.
The problem isn’t treating different constituencies differently. They are intrinsically different. But the significance accorded to representation shouldn’t be seen as different. Election Committee constituency lawmakers are elected through a distinct vote-counting system. Candidates with enough votes to be placed in the top 40 spots win. Perhaps, out of prudence, the government could let Fung Ying-lun, who received 988 votes and came in 41st, take up Wong’s seat.
Ultimately, the government will decide whether a by-election will be held, and it must do so as soon as possible. To leave the seat vacant would raise uncomfortable questions about the political system that the government has a duty to protect. Doing nothing or delaying the decision would raise questions and perhaps undermine the public’s trust even more than a personal scandal would. That might be too steep a political price to pay.


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William Wong Kam-fai is absent from the House Committee of Legislative Council meeting at Legislative Council Complex on July 3. Wong resigned from Legco that day. Photo: Edmond So

Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen (second left), then Legco president, delivers a speech during a seminar on executive-legislative collaboration in Admiralty on October 16, 2025. Also on the dais are Lau Siu-kaim, consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan, and Tam Yiu-chung, secretary general of the Hong Kong Coalition. Photo: Karma Lo

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Lawmaker Wong Kam-fai attends a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai on July 1. Photo: Handout

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

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William Wong resigned as a lawmaker on Friday. Photo: Handout

Police chief Joe Chow says William Wong’s case is still under investigation. Photo: Elson Li

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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

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If we believe in our electoral system, in which each lawmakers plays an important role, no seat should be considered insignificant


If we believe in our electoral system, in which each lawmakers plays an important role, no seat should be considered insignificant.


Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco)

Executive Council of Hong Kong

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong elections

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Why Hong Kong must fill seat vacated by lawmaker promptly

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}If we believe in our electoral system, in which each lawmakers plays an important role, no seat should be considered insignificant

If we believe in our electoral system, in which each lawmakers plays an important role, no seat should be considered insignificant