Victor Ng from the Liberal Party is ready to take on the ‘King’ for a seat in the Central and Western District Council.
The Liberal Party is planning a comeback in the upcoming District Council elections. It aims to stun speculators by beating the Democratic Party’s prominent candidate Cheng Lai-king (鄭麗琼) in the Central and Western DC election. Victor Ng Lung-fei (吳龍飛) is its wild card in the Mid-levels.
Last year, Ng was assigned to the district and set up his office on Bonham Road. Although he has yet to confirm whether he will take on Cheng Lai-king—the ‘King’ —who is going to run for her sixth consecutive term as the representative of Castle Road, his chances look slim considering Cheng’s profile in the neighbourhood. Ng, however, is confident that his background and character will win over the voters.
FIT AND FRESH
“Being innovative, energetic, diligent and humble are my attributes,” the 35-year-old district officer says. “Cheng is a veteran, but I have been participating in community services since I was a schoolboy. I am here to take actions and serve the people of this district.”
Ng believes that his experience as the honorary president of the May I Join You Association, a local organisation which promotes social responsibility and harmony, will help him build trust with the residents.
LOCAL CONCERNS
Incidents of trees collapsing, sometimes with fatal results, have been a huge concern for the community. Accordingly, Ng took the initiative to communicate with government authorities and organised a Mid-levels patrolling squad to address the issue. As he notes, other areas that demand attention include transportation, noise pollution, environmental protection, the escalator and walkway system and parking spaces.
GOLDEN CHANCE
Recent developments on the political reform scene and the Liberal Party’s image, meanwhile, may give Ng an edge in his bid for a seat in the DC.
“While the Liberal Party sides with the pro-establishment camp—as we believe in gradual progress of democratic development – the dramatic outcome of the political reform package vote proved yet again that we have our own distinctive stance that emphasises pragmatism. Our party leadership is rational enough to make our own decisions – the right decisions – rather than blindly following others. Some parties just find it difficult do that.” he says. Ng believes this perceived independence on the constitutional reform scene will play well with voters in the Castle Road district.
As one of the two Liberal Party Youth Committee’s internal affairs executives, Ng hopes that the usually silent population from the middle- and upper-classes will step up and raise their concerns over an increasingly polarised and radical political atmosphere.
“The democrats are no different from their [pro-Beijing] loyalist rivals [in blindly following a dogmatic line]. The Occupy movement had brought great disturbance to the residents as protesters blocked roads to Admiralty, which are particularly crucial to their everyday activities. The Pan-dems, on this occasion, supported the movement at the expense of people’s livelihood. We don’t think this is the correct way to fight for your political aspirations, and I am sure many would agree with us.”
YOUNG DRAGON
Ng’s chinese name may seem rather lofty (his first name literally means ‘dragon’ and ‘fly’), but the dragon did not start flying from the very beginning. He was born to a grassroots family and did not have the best childhood. After leaving high school with mediocre results, he once worked as a security guard, salesperson and bank teller to earn a living.
His ship arrived when, in 2007, Ng earned his first pot of gold in the property market and made his name as the “property god of the millennials” in the Chinese media. Ng, however, takes no credit for the fame.
“My story means nothing to those living in this community. They all have achieved much more. That being said, they would need someone to speak out for their interests and bring about more community activities, and I am here to serve the needs. For example, I will organise more hobby groups for teenagers, which have been apparently lacking so far.”
FREE THE MARKET!
When commenting on the current administration, he criticises, in particular the Government’s housing policy.
“The Government’s interventionist measures in hopes of controlling property prices have been proven detrimental. Market supply dropped, further pushing up rents. Meanwhile, markets for public and private housings are increasingly overlapping. This won’t help alleviate the concerns of lower class. They are trying to please everyone, and it ends up with no one benefiting from the policies.” he says.
“People should be given the right to trade their properties in a free market under the positive non-intervention principle rather than restrained by unjustified stamp duties and loan ratio limitations.”
NEW WAVES
While the new Youngspiration advocates ‘localism’ in the wake of increasing influence from the mainland, Ng represents the type of persons who would catch the opportunities to make their own fortunes while promoting social responsibility – a legacy of the ‘spirit of Lion Rock’.
With the injection of fresh blood like Ng and Youngspiration, it is almost certain that there will be no lack of excitement in the upcoming elections.
