Frederick Fung
Encyclopedia
Silver Bauhinia Star
The Silver Bauhinia Star is the second rank in the Order of the Bauhinia Star in Hong Kong, awarded to persons who have taken a leading part in public affairs or voluntary work over a long period...
, JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(born 17 March 1953 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, with family roots in Dongguan
Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
) is the former chairman of the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood
The Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood is a pro-democracy political party in the Hong Kong. It was established on 26 October 1986. The current chairman of the party is Bruce Liu.-History:...
(ADPL), a pro-democracy political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
(Legco), elected by direct election from the Geographical Constituency of Kowloon West
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
. He is a part-time tutor at City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1984 as City Polytechnic of Hong Kong and became a fully accredited university in 1994. It has achieved fast growth in recent years and received international recognition for its academic achievements...
's School Continuous and Professional Education (SCOPE).
Background
In 1982, Fung obtained his undergraduate BA degree in Social Policy and Public Administration at the University of BradfordUniversity of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He worked as a social worker after graduation. Fung was elected to the (now disbanded) Urban Council in 1983 (on which he served until 1995). He served as president of a local group, Concern for Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, 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. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
People's Livelihood, since 1984, and founded the ADPL in 1986. In 1998, he was elected to the Sham Shui Po District Board (and served until 1991). In 1991 he became a legislator through direct election. He also served as a member in the Hong Kong Housing Authority from 1990 to 1998.
Fung served in the Provisional Legislative Council
Provisional Legislative Council
The Provisional Legislative Council or the PLC was the interim legislature of Hong Kong from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 until the handover in 1997 and moved to Hong Kong to serves as the temporary replacement of Legislative Council of Hong...
until the first Legco election of the HKSAR in 1998, in which he (along with other ADPL members) was defeated.
He was re-elected to Legco in 2000. He was also elected to the Sham Shui Po District Council
District Council of Hong Kong
The District Councils, formerly District Boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 Districts of Hong Kong. Under the supervision of Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong Government, they are consultative bodies on district administration and affairs.- History :In 1982, under the...
in 1999 and 2003.
After the defeat of ADPL in the 2007 Hong Kong District Council Election, Fung decided to resign as chairman of the ADPL and was temporarily succeeded by Liu Sing-lee, the then vice-chairman.
Political positions and activity
Fung's work is mainly focused on livelihood issues in the Sham Shui Po DistrictSham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, 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. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
. On political issues he takes a more moderate stance than other democrats. Fung's most controversial move among the democratic camp was his acceptance to join the Provisional Legco, set up by the PRC Government to replace Legco temporarily upon reunification in 1997, after the failure of the Chinese and British sides to agree on a smooth transition of the political system. The democratic camp generally boycotted the provisional body and other appointments by the Chinese side, criticising them as a backwards step for democracy. Nevertheless, Fung accepted a number of appointments from the Chinese government, joined the Preparatory Committee for the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and while he voted against the setting up of the Provisional Legco in 1996 in the Preparatory Committee, he (and other ADPL members) joined the provisional body eventually. His move was regarded as a compromise with the Chinese government and was criticised by other members of the democratic camp.
In June 2010, he was one of the first to promise support for the government’s 2012 constitutional reform package if it included the amendment by the Democratic Party to hold a popular vote for five new District Council functional constituencies
Functional constituency
In the political systems of Hong Kong and Macau, a functional constituency is a professional or special interest group involved in the electoral process...
. When this proposal was accepted by the Beijing government
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
, he did indeed vote for it.
On 21 February 2011, he was questioned whether he supported Yeung Sum's aspiration that DAB should become the ruling party on facebook. Fung refused to answer even though he admitted to reporters only 2 days earlier that his party and democratic party are quite in line when it comes to political structure/reform.