Lau Siu-lai (; born 3 August 1976) is a Hong Kong educator, academic, activist, and politician. She is a sociology lecturer at the
Hong Kong Polytechnic University's
Hong Kong Community College and the founder of Democracy Groundwork and Age of Resistance.
In 2016, Lau was elected to the
Legislative Council, representing the
Kowloon West
Kowloon West is the western part of Kowloon, covering the Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po District, with Kowloon City District occasionally included.
History
The boundary of Kowloon West is not strictly defined and hence varies. While traditio ...
geographical constituency
In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, returni ...
until she was disqualified by the court on 14 July 2017 over her oath-taking manner at the inaugural meeting of the Legislative Council on 12 October 2016.
Background
Lau holds a bachelor's degree in social science, a master of philosophy in sociology, and a PhD in cultural sociology and historical sociology from the
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public research university in Ma Liu Shui, Hong Kong, formally established in 1963 by a charter granted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. It is the territory's second-oldest university and ...
.
She worked as a tutor at the Chinese University for a decade before joining the faculty of the Hong Kong Community College.
Lau taught a variety of sociology classes including Introduction to Sociology, Sociological Theories, Hong Kong Society, Medical Society, Social Problems, and Gender Issues.
She gained prominence establishing Democracy Groundwork to hold "Democracy Classrooms" during the
2014 pro-democratic protests, teaching protesters about social justice and democracy.
In this role she earned the moniker "Teacher Siu-lai" ().
Lau has challenged the
Hong Kong government's suppression of hawking, and the crackdown on the traditional
Kweilin Street Night Market
Kweilin Street Night Market () is a commercial and social activity that unlicensed hawkers set up their mobile food stores and stalls to sell local street foods and groceries in Kweilin Street (桂林街), Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong.
Typically, ...
, on the grounds that government policies toward street trading serves to bolster the hegemony of Hong Kong's dominant property conglomerates while unjustly persecuting the poor.
Lau has hawked food herself, as an act of
civil disobedience, in support of hawkers.
She has organised street markets in
Mei Foo,
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po is an area of Kowloon, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei (). It is located in and is the namesake of the Sham Shui ...
and
Wong Tai Sin
Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian () is a Chinese Taoist Deity popular in Jinhua, Zhejiang, and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (; c. 32 ...
to demonstrate that hawking can be conducted in an orderly manner.
She urges the government to once again issue hawker licences, and to allow street markets throughout the territory to provide more choice to consumers.
Until 2016, authorities had turned a blind eye to the Lunar New Year market on Kweilin Street, considered a staple of Hong Kong culture.
On 7 February 2016, the eve of the Lunar New Year, the
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) officers took a hardline stance against the market, chasing away the vendors. Lau set up a stall in the street and sold squid in defiance, and was arrested.
In response to the crackdown, localist group
Hong Kong Indigenous
Hong Kong Indigenous is a localist political group established in 2015. It is known for its hardline localist stances and militant methods of protesting. It has been actively involved in protests and engaged into violent clashes with police, ...
called on supporters to come out on 8 February to help "protect" the hawkers and the night markets. The FEHD and police again took action against the markets, resulting in a
major civil disturbance.
In response to her arrest, Lau said the government's stance was unreasonable, as hawking provides jobs, lowers the cost of living, and gives residents choice in the face of neighbourhoods dominated by corporate powers.
Lau appeared at Kowloon City Magistrates' Court on 20 June 2016. Two officers from the FEHD testified that they saw Lau heat up squid with a frying pan and sell a man a skewer for HK$10.
She was convicted on three counts, namely: obstruction of a public space, hawking without a licence, and cooking food for the purpose of hawking without a licence.
She was fined HK$1,800 and her hawking gear was seized under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
Lau stated that she would continue to hawk and would continue to support hawkers.
Lau's educational career is under jeopardy due to her hawking-related activism. In mid-2016 the Hong Kong Polytechnic University launched a disciplinary hearing against her for "moonlighting" as she reportedly earned HK$10 selling snacks.
Lau said that the university's actions were politically motivated, stating that senior figures at the institute had told her that the president was under pressure from the university's governing council to take action against her.
Lau donated the $10 to her Democracy Groundwork and defended herself, stating that there was no conflict of interest, that hawking does not constitute formal employment, and that the ban on moonlighting applied only to full-time faculty (while she was a part-time lecturer at the time).
Political career
2016 election and platform
Running under the banner of Democracy Groundwork, Lau was elected to the Legislative Council in the
2016 election, representing the
geographical constituency
In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, returni ...
of
Kowloon West
Kowloon West is the western part of Kowloon, covering the Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po District, with Kowloon City District occasionally included.
History
The boundary of Kowloon West is not strictly defined and hence varies. While traditio ...
. During her election campaign, Lau stated that if elected her top priorities would be to "push back on '
white elephant
A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, construction project, sch ...
' infrastructure projects, implement a universal pension scheme, legislate standard working hours, reform housing policy, and restart electoral reform."
Lau calls for the reform of Hong Kong's political system. She believes it is ineffective to fight against
Leung Chun-ying
Leung Chun-ying (; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor, who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since Ma ...
on the grounds that, "You kick away Leung and Beijing will give you another one as bad as him, if not worse. We need to reform the system."
She has rejected the idea of
Hong Kong independence
Hong Kong independence is a political movement that advocates the establishment of Hong Kong as an independent sovereign state. Hong Kong is one of two Special administrative regions of China (SAR) which enjoys a certain degree of autonomy ...
as "unrealistic", but says the issue should be open for discussion.
She advocates a "very high" degree of autonomy for Hong Kong and the protection of local culture.
In addition to her above views on hawkers, Lau is critical of
Link REIT
Link Real Estate Investment Trust (, or ; previously known as The Link Real Estate Investment Trust (, or ), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is the first real estate investment trust in Hong Kong and currently the largest in Asia in ...
, a private real estate company whose assets primarily comprise shopping centres, markets, and car parks in public housing estates.
Link REIT exercises a ''de facto'' monopoly in many low-income areas, and has been subject to numerous protests due to rapid rent increases, eviction of local shops in favour of chain operators, and property management outsourcing.
There have been calls for the government to buy back properties owned by the Link REIT, most of which were divested from the
Housing Authority
A housing authority or ministry of housing is generally a governmental body that governs aspects of housing or (called in general " shelter" or "living spaces"), often providing low rent or free apartments to qualified residents. The existence o ...
in 2005.
Lau said that allowing more hawking and street markets would provide more choice and spur competition.
The election was held on 4 September 2016, with a total of 36 candidates standing on 15 party lists in the Kowloon West constituency. Standing alone on her list, Lau garnered 38,183 votes, the third highest at 13.69 percent of the total, and the best supported pro-democracy candidate.
She is regarded as a member of the
localist
Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identi ...
camp, and pledged to work together with other newly elected localists
Eddie Chu
Eddie Chu Hoi-dick (; born 29 September 1977) is a Hong Kong social activist and politician. He is a member of the Local Action and founder of the Land Justice League which are involved in conservation and environmental movements. He is kno ...
and
Nathan Law
Nathan Law Kwun-chung ( zh, link=no, t=羅冠聰; born 13 July 1993) is an activist and politician from Hong Kong. As a former student leader, he has been chairman of the Representative Council of the Lingnan University Students' Union (LUS ...
.
Swearing-in and disqualification as legislator
At the Legislative Council swearing-in on 12 October 2016 Lau first read an altered version of the
oath of office in protest.
She was asked to read it again, and she did so extremely slowly.
Other pro-democratic and localist candidates similarly added extra phrases of protest to their oaths.
LegCo president
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen (; born 24 February 1951) is a Hong Kong politician who is the current President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the Industrial (First) functional constituency. From October 2012 to October ...
rejected the oath and sent Lau a notice that read: "The conduct of Ms Lau's oath-taking, objectively assessed, has shown that she was not serious about the affirmation and had no intention to be bound by it."
Leung asked Lau,
Baggio Leung
Sixtus "Baggio" Leung Chung-hang (; born 7 August 1986) is a Hong Kong activist and politician. He is the convenor of Youngspiration, a localist political group in Hong Kong that leans towards Hong Kong independence, and is also leader and ...
,
Yau Wai-ching
Regine Yau Wai-ching (; born 6 May 1991) is a Hong Kong former politician and former member of the localist group Youngspiration. She was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong as a member for Kowloon West in the 2016 Legislative ...
, and
Edward Yiu
Edward Yiu Chung-yim (; born 19 July 1964) is a Hong Kong academic, scholar and former politician who is currently an associate professor of property at the University of Auckland Business School. He is a former member of the Legislative Council ...
, who had all protested during their swearing-in, to retake their oaths.
The government challenged Leung's decision with regard to Yau and Baggio Leung, in an unprecedented action whereby the government sought to disqualify two democratically elected legislators.
Lau, despite protesting in a similar manner to Yau Wai-ching and Baggio Leung, did not appear to be targeted by the court order. Lau was finally sworn in on 2 November 2016 by
Andrew Leung
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen (; born 24 February 1951) is a Hong Kong politician who is the current President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legco), representing the Industrial (First) functional constituency. From October 2012 to October ...
, despite the protests of
pro-Beijing camp
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
. The judge presiding over Yau and Leung's case ruled in favour of the government on 15 November 2016, disqualifying the duo and barring them from the legislature.
Jackson Kwan San-wai, who ran at the head of the
Politihk Social Strategic list in the same constituency as Lau but lost, with his list (of two) gaining only 938 votes (0.34%), filed an election petition against Lau in November 2016 on the grounds that by her conduct during the swearing-in she did not uphold the
Basic Law. Politihk Social Strategic is a group of pro-Beijing activists who opposed the
2014 pro-democratic protests.
It was followed by the government launching a second legal action, against her and three other legislators,
Leung Kwok-hung
Leung Kwok-hung ( zh, t=梁國雄; born 27 March 1956), also known by his nickname "Long Hair" (), is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council, representing the New Territories East. A Trotskyi ...
of the
League of Social Democrats
The League of Social Democrats (LSD) is a social democratic party in Hong Kong. Chaired by Chan Po-ying, wife of Leung Kwok-hung, it positions itself as the radical wing of the pro-democracy camp and stresses on "street actions" and "parliame ...
(LSD),
Nathan Law
Nathan Law Kwun-chung ( zh, link=no, t=羅冠聰; born 13 July 1993) is an activist and politician from Hong Kong. As a former student leader, he has been chairman of the Representative Council of the Lingnan University Students' Union (LUS ...
of
Demosisto
Demosisto (stylised Demosistō) () was a pro-democracy political organisation established on 10 April 2016 as a political party. It was led by Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow – former leaders of Scholarism, along with Nathan Law, former secre ...
and
Yiu Chung-yim
Edward Yiu Chung-yim (; born 19 July 1964) is a Hong Kong academic, scholar and former politician who is currently an associate professor of property at the University of Auckland Business School. He is a former member of the Legislative Counci ...
, on 2 December. The four members were eventually disqualified by the court on 14 July 2017.
Lau and Leung pursued a legal appeal against their disqualification, meaning that of the six seats left vacant by the
removal of pro-democracy Legislative Councillors, only the other four were contested in the
by-election of 11 March 2018. However, on 29 May 2018, Lau announced that she was retracting her appeal, given uncertainty from the court about whether it could be heard with Leung's, as well as the cost and high psychological pressure of the case, and the delay it would cause to the opportunity for the
democratic camp to regain the seat in a by-election.
Former lawmaker Lau Siu-lai drops appeal against her disqualification to trigger by-election
''Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) is a free, non-profit news website based in Hong Kong. It was co-founded in 2015 by Tom Grundy, who believed that the territory's press freedom was in decline, to provide an alternative to the dominant English-language ...
'', by Kris Cheng, 29 May 2018
Kowloon West by-election 2018 and disqualification
On 29 June 2018, Lau joined the Labour Party, and brought her Democracy Groundwork group on board the party also. She publicly discussed the possibility of running to regain her old seat, either with the Labour Party or independently.
Also in June, it was announced that the by-election for Lau's seat, the geographical constituency
In Hong Kong, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong, returni ...
of Kowloon West
Kowloon West is the western part of Kowloon, covering the Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po District, with Kowloon City District occasionally included.
History
The boundary of Kowloon West is not strictly defined and hence varies. While traditio ...
, would take place on 25 November 2018. On 20 September, Lau became the first person to announce her candidacy in a bid to regain the seat.[Ousted lawmaker Lau Siu-lai to run in November’s Legislative Council by-election]
''Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) is a free, non-profit news website based in Hong Kong. It was co-founded in 2015 by Tom Grundy, who believed that the territory's press freedom was in decline, to provide an alternative to the dominant English-language ...
'', 20 September 2018 She was the candidate of the pro-democracy camp
The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic L ...
. On 12 October 2018, Lau was disqualified by the Electoral Affairs Commission. She was replaced by Lee Cheuk-yan
Lee Cheuk-yan (; born 12 February 1957 in Shanghai) is a Hong Kong politician and social activist. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1995 to 2016, when he lost his seat. He represented the Kowloon West and the Manufac ...
, who was defeated by health ambassador and pro-Beijing
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp, pro-government camp or pro-China camp refers to a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Beijing central government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) t ...
Chan Hoi-yan on 25 November, causing the pro-democracy camp to lose its majority status in the geographical constituency part in the Legislative Council.
Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, Siu-lai
Alumni of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong activists
Hong Kong women activists
Liberalism in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Polytechnic University faculty
1976 births
Living people
HK LegCo Members 2016–2021
Hong Kong pan-democrats
Hong Kong localists
People expelled from public office
Hong Kong political prisoners