Ho Sai-chu, GBM, JP (; born 6 June 1937) was a Hong Kong entrepreneur and the member of the Legislative Council from 1985 to 1991 for

Commercial (Second) The Commercial (Second) functional constituency () is a functional constituency in the elections for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicamer ...

constituency,

Provisional Legislative Council The Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) was the interim legislature of Hong Kong that operated from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 (with offices in Hong Kong) until the handover in 1997 an ...

from 1996 to 1998 and Legislative Council after the transfer of the Hong Kong sovereignty in 1998 to 2000 for the

Election Committee The Election Committee is a Hong Kong electoral college, the function of which is to select the Chief Executive (CE) and, since 2021, to elect 40 of the 90 members of the Legislative Council. Established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong ...

constituency. He is also the member of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

National Committee and life honorary chairman of the

Chinese General Chamber of Commerce The Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (CGCCHK; ) is a non-profit organization of local Chinese firms and businessmen based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1900 by Ho Fook and Lau Chu-pak, two prominent leaders of the Chinese community during th ...

Early life

Ho was born in Hong Kong on 6 June 1937 to an entrepreneur Ho Iu-kwong. He was educated at the

Wah Yan College, Hong Kong Wah Yan College, Hong Kong also referred to by its acronym WYHK is a private Catholic all-boys grant-in-aid secondary education institution run by the China Province of the Society of Jesus in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It was founded by on 16 De ...

and the

Hong Kong Technical College The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a public research university located in Hung Hom, Hong Kong near Hung Hom station. The University is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded ...

, predecessor of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He became a contractor and was the director of many construction and real estates companies, including director and manager of the Fook Lee Construction Company, director of the Fook Lee Estates and the Fook Lee Holdings. He was also the director of the United Builders Insurance Company and the chairman of the Chung Fu Petrochemical Company and the Bright Sources (Xian) Development.

Public career

He was core member of the Building Contractors' Association was appointed member of the Registered Contractors' Disciplinary Board Panel, Building Development Advisory Committee and Building Contractors' Sub-committee. Besides construction associations, Ho was also chairman of the

Tung Wah Group of Hospitals The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (), with a history dating back to 1870, is the oldest and largest charitable organisation in Hong Kong. It provides extensive education and community services through 194 service centres spread across Hong Kong. ...

and the

South China Athletic Association South China Athletic Association (known simply as South China, SCAA, ) is a Hong Kong professional football club that competes in the Hong Kong First Division, the second-tier league in Hong Kong football league system. The club is histor ...

and vice-chairman of the

Hong Kong Football Association The Hong Kong Football Association Limited (), often abbreviated to the HKFA, is the governing body of association football in Hong Kong. Its current chairman is Pui Kwan Kay and its Chief Executive Officer is Joaquin Tam. History The HKFA was ...

, president of New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, vice-president of the Hong Kong Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society. He was the four-time chairman of the

Hong Kong Council of Social Service The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS; or 社聯) is a council coordinating NGOs in the social service field in Hong Kong, established in 1947. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service represent more than 480 Agency Members that prov ...

from 1972 to 1983. He had been core member of the

, a pro-Beijing chamber of commerce in Hong Kong. In 1985, he represented the chamber of commerce to sit in the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kong ...

through the Second Commercial

functional constituency A functional constituency is an electoral device (a non-geographical constituency) used within the political systems of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China: * Functional constituency (Hong Kong) * Functional cons ...

. He served on the council until 1991 and was succeeded by

Philip Wong Philip Wong Yu-hong, GBS (; 23 December 1938 – 6 June 2021) was a politician in Hong Kong who served as a member of the legislative council ( Functional constituencies, Commercial econd, a deputy to the National People's Congress and vice ...

. He was also appointed member of the National Committee of the

by the Beijing government. In 1993, Ho and his wife were unsuccessfully prosecuted regarding financial dealings relating to the transfer of ownership of pro-China tabloid newspaper

Tin Tin Daily News ''Tin Tin Daily News'' also known as ''Tin Tin Yat Pao'' was a newspaper in Hong Kong, published between 1960 and 2000. In later years it took a pro-Beijing editorial stand. It was founded by the Wai Kee-shun family, who made their fortune in phar ...

. In 1996, he was elected to the Beijing-controlled

. He went on the became the member of the first Legislative Council from 1998 to 2000 through the

constituency. He kept on serve on many public positions including a member of the

Hong Kong Housing Authority The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is the main provider of public housing in Hong Kong. It was established in April 1973 under the Housing Ordinance and is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong. In the same year, the Resettlement Departm ...

and the Labour Advisory Board and chairman of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Fund Board. He held positions of directorship of

MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong ...

and board membership of the

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

. He was involved in the city development of Guangzhou and served as the chairman of the Guangzhou Friendship Liaison Association, an honorary professor of

Guangzhou University Guangzhou University (GU; ) is a state university in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, China. The university is made up of two campuses. The major campus is located in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center (HEMC, geographically called X ...

, a director of

Jinan University Jinan University (JNU, ) is a public research university based in Guangzhou, China. "Jinan" literally means "reaching southward", indicating the university's original mission to disseminate Chinese learning and culture from North to South when i ...

and a director of

Southeast University Southeast University (SEU, ) is a public research university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It was formed from one of the oldest universities and the first coeducational university in China, and designated as a member of the Double First C ...

Honours

For his public services, Ho was awarded Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in 1973 and was later promoted to Officer of the

(OBE). In 2007, he received a

Gold Bauhinia Star The Gold Bauhinia Star (, GBS) is the highest Bauhinia Star rank in the honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system of the Order of the British Empire after the transfer of sovereignty to People's Republic of ...

(GBS) for his contributions in the

. On 1 July 2015, he was awarded the

Grand Bauhinia Medal The Grand Bauhinia Medal () is the highest award under the Hong Kong honours and awards system; it is to recognise the selected person's lifelong and highly significant contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong. The awardee is entitled to the ...

(GBM), the highest honour of the SAR, in recognition of his contributions to the formulation of labour policies and the promotion of harmonious employer-employee relations in the past decades and also his efforts in serving on the Labour Advisory Board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Sai-chu 1937 births Living people Members of the Provisional Legislative Council Hong Kong businesspeople Liberal Party (Hong Kong) politicians Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Grand Bauhinia Medal Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star HK LegCo Members 1985–1988 HK LegCo Members 1988–1991 HK LegCo Members 1998–2000 Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong