Tommy Cheung Yu-yan,
GBS,
JP (, born 30 September 1949 in Hong Kong) is a member of the
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, colloquially known as LegCo, is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under People's Republic of China, China's "one country, two systems" c ...
(LegCo), representing the
Catering
Catering is the business of providing food services at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major service ...
functional constituencies seats. He is a non-official member of the
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong (ExCo) is the Cabinet (government), cabinet of the Government of Hong Kong, acting as a formal body of advisers to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong that serves as a core policy-making organ assisting the c ...
and is leader of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, having previously served as party chairman from 2016 to 2022.
Career
He graduated from the
Diocesan Boys' School
The Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is a day and boarding Anglican boys' school in Hong Kong, located at 131 Argyle Street, Hong Kong, Argyle Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon. The school's mission is "to provide a liberal education based on Christianity ...
and
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...
.
[Profile of Tommy Cheung](_blank)
He was previously a member of the
Eastern District Council. He is a businessman, chairman of a trading and investment company, and a member of the Diocesan Boys' School school committee.
Legislative Councillor
In late 2005, when there were strong concerns regarding a potential "bird flu" pandemic, Cheung became "an outspoken opponent of migratory birds". He stated that
migrating birds
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
were the source of the pandemic threat.
[Hong Kong Standard. "." ''Wetland migratory birds not to blame, say experts.'' Retrieved on 21 June 2012.]
On 20 March 2010, after Cheung suggested a minimum wage of
HK$20/hour, he became the subject of insults and derision from some quarters, nicknamed "$20 Cheung".
[South China Morning Post.]
SCMP
" ''Young critics heckle Liberal lawmaker.'' Retrieved on 5 April 2010.
During the
2020 coronavirus pandemic, Cheung spoke out against the government's extension of mandatory social distancing measures. He complained that his constituents were suffering due to mandatory closures of some types of businesses, such as bars and karaoke centres, and accused the government of "not understanding economics".
In January 2021, Cheung partially blamed teachers for the
2019–20 Hong Kong protests and that CCTV cameras should be installed in classrooms to monitor teachers for "subversive remarks."
In December 2022, Cheung was part of 3 lawmakers who drafted legislation to reform
CUHK's governing council, saying "During the anti-government turmoil in 2019, there was a riot on the campus of CUHK but the attitude and handling of the incident by CUHK were appalling.
In December 2022, Cheung said "We need to take action to correct such behaviour that is this disrespectful to Hong Kong and to our country" and that he would support summing Google to the Legislative Council, to answer questions on why
Glory to Hong Kong was ranked so highly when searching for the national anthem of Hong Kong. At the same month, he was tested positive for COVID-19.
In September 2023, Cheung drew criticism after he helped push a bill to revamp
Chinese University's governing council without the school's endorsement, with former lawmaker
Abraham Shek asking "They should table the bill with the university’s endorsement. Why do they have to be that authoritarian?"
Chairman of the Liberal Party
Cheung was elected Liberal Party's new chairman after the
2016 Legislative Council election in October. The new leadership was seen as more moderate and conservative with less vocal anti-Leung Chun-ying (pro-government, but anti-Leung) stance. Cheung was subsequently appointed by Leung to the Executive Council. Cheung was reappointed to the Executive Council successively by
Carrie Lam
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the fourth Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022, after serving as Chief Secretary for Administration for five years.
After g ...
and
John Lee.
Cheung voted against paternity leave when it was introduced to the Employment Ordinance in 2015. In 2018, he opposed the Hong Kong government proposal to increase statutory paternity leave from three days to five, claiming the benefit itself should not even exist, as demands for more would be "never-ending". Cheung said that "back in the 1980s" there was no legally mandated paternal leave, but many companies would still grant "white days" for funerals and "red days" for auspicious events such as births and marriages without the need for "inflexible" labour laws requiring them to do so. Cheung's remarks attracted a lot of criticism, including
Ng Chau-pei of the pro-Beijing
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a pro-Beijing labour and political group established in 1948 in Hong Kong. It is the oldest and largest labour group in Hong Kong with over 420,000 members in 253 affiliates and associated ...
described Cheung as taking part in a "barbaric form of capitalism". Another Executive Councillor,
New People's Party chairwoman
Regina Ip
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee (; ' Lau; born 24 August 1950) is a politician in Hong Kong. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executive Council (ExCo) and a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo), as w ...
agreed members should avoid publicly criticising the government.
References
External links
Official site of Tommy Cheung
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Tommy
1949 births
District councillors of Eastern District
HK LegCo Members 2000–2004
HK LegCo Members 2004–2008
HK LegCo Members 2008–2012
HK LegCo Members 2012–2016
HK LegCo Members 2016–2021
HK LegCo Members 2022–2025
Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee members
Hong Kong businesspeople
Hong Kong Christians
Hong Kong justices of the peace
Hong Kong pro-Beijing politicians
Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians
Living people
Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
People educated at Diocesan Boys' School
Pepperdine University alumni
Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star
Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star