A Hong Kong district councillor has been suspended for a week after being convicted of dangerous driving, the first member to be penalised since the government introduced performance guidelines in 2023.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Tuesday that Tuen Mun District Council member Kenneth Yip Kat-kong would be suspended for one week after an investigation found that his actions constituted misconduct.
She said a five-member supervisory committee had concluded that his conviction for dangerous driving constituted misconduct after considering the evidence, the negative impact of the incident on district councils and their members, and the government’s reputation and credibility.
During the week-long suspension from his duties, Yip will not receive any pay or allowances.
Mak appointed the committee to investigate the alleged misconduct in July. The panel comprised Li Tak-hong, a former Wong Tai Sin District Council chairman, and four serving councillors.
They were Luparker Wong Shuk-fan of Tsuen Wan, Ng King-wah of Kwai Tsing, Janus Lau Yuen-yee of Wong Tai Sin and Lau Kar-wah of Kwun Tong.
Yip was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and had his licence suspended for six months in May after pleading guilty to dangerous driving over a head-on collision with a taxi in Sheung Shui in August last year.
He had failed a breathalyser test.
Yip, a 62-year-old retired businessman, had previous drink driving and careless driving convictions from 2017, the court heard.
“The government places strong emphasis on the conduct and integrity of members,” Mak said.
“And they should conduct themselves in a manner that is in line with public expectations and commensurate with the reputation of the [district council] and its members.”
Another district councillor, Sei Chun-hing of Yuen Long, is accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl. Sei, who denies the charge, will appear in court this month.
A Home Affairs Department spokesman earlier said it would strictly monitor the case and could consider initiating its own inquiry depending on the outcome.
The government in late 2023 issued performance-monitoring guidelines for district council members, which list certain behaviours that may constitute misconduct.
Failure to complete tasks given by a district council chairman, absence from meetings twice a year or more, stirring up social conflict, breaking the law and using foul language at meetings are among them. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
