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Jasper Tsang Yok-sing (t=曾鈺成; born 17 May 1947) is a Hong Kong politician. He is the founding member of the largest pro-Beijing party the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) from 1992 to 2003 and the 2nd President of the Legislative Council from 2008 to 2016.
Graduated from the University of Hong Kong, Tsang chose to teach in the leftist Pui Kiu Middle School and became its principal before he stepped into politics in the 1980s. In 1992 he founded the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong and first contested in the 1995 Legislative Council election in which he lost the race. He was elected in Kowloon West in the first Legislative Council election after the handover of Hong Kong in 1998. He was also the member of the Executive Council from 2002 to 2008.
He became the President of the Legislative Council in 2008. Due to his relatively fair and accommodating presiding styles and his relatively liberal image within the pro-Beijing camp, he enjoyed high popularity within his last years before his retirement from the Legislative Council in 2016. He also expressed interest in running in the 2012 and 2017 Chief Executive elections but did not stand eventually.
Tsang grew his patriotic sentiments and interest in Marxism by reading the leftist newspaper Wen Wei Po which his father brought home from work everyday and worshipped Qian Xuesen, a renowned scientist who returned to the mainland from the United States in the 1950s. In 1966, he went back to Guangzhou with his mother and was impressed by the socialist life there. He proclaimed himself a Marxist and studied works of Karl Marx and Mao Zedong with like-minded classmates at a time when the majority of the students at the University of Hong Kong supported the colonial rule and had negative views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
After graduating from the University of Hong Kong, Tsang gave up his supposedly bright future as a university graduate and joined the leftist Piu Kiu Middle School as a teacher under the patronage of principal Ng Hong-mun, at the time the pro-CCP leftists were marginalised by the colonial government. After the downfall of Gang of Four in 1976, Tsang began to question his own socialist beliefs. He obtained a Graduate Diploma of Education in 1981 and a Master of Education at the University of Hong Kong in 1983. He went on to become the principal of the Piu Kiu Middle School in 1986 until he left his position to become a full-time politician. He became the supervisor of the school and was also the supervisor of a newly established direct-subsidised school, the Pui Kiu College.
In the mid-1980s, Tsang was actively involved in the discussion of the drafting of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, the mini-constitution after the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. He was one of the members of the "Group of 38" proposal consisting of educators with leftist background led by Basic Law Consultative Committee member Cheng Kai-nam which put forward a middle-of-the-ground proposal between the uncompromising rift of the pro-business conservative "Group of 89" and the pro-democracy liberal "Group of 190" proposals.
During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Tsang called for the support of the teachers and students of the Pui Kiu Middle School to support the Tiananmen students and their cause for a democratic China. After the massacre on 4 June, he told the reporters that he was "shocked and sad". However he and other leftists soon reiterated their position on the event and were recalled under Beijing's command.
In the 1995 Legislative Council election, he ran in Kowloon Central but was defeated by the less known candidate Liu Sing-lee from the pro-democracy Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood (ADPL). He received around 16,000 votes, 43 per cent of the total vote share. He was subsequently elected to the Provisional Legislative Council in 1996 by the Beijing-controlled Selection Committee.
Tsang was first directly elected to the Legislative Council in the first post-handover election in 1998, representing the Kowloon West constituency. In 2002 he was appointed to the Executive Council by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. In 2002 the fifth anniversary of the Special Administrative Region, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS) by the government.
As the ally of the Tung administration, the DAB suffered criticisms with the unpopular government. During the controversy surrounding the enactment of the national security bill in Hong Kong, Tsang drew criticism for his party's support of the government's legislative initiatives. Following the 1 July 2003 protests and disappointing performance of his party in the 2003 District Council election, he resigned from the party's chairmanship in December 2003.
Tsang was also criticised for the manner in which he presided over Legislative Council meetings, which led to walkout protests, though he was generally perceived to be fair and accommodating and enjoyed friendly relations with both pro-Beijing and pan-democratic members.Lee, Colleen (14 October 2011). "Fury at 'thug, triad' barbs". The Standard He softened his early years' staunch pro-Beijing image during his presidency in the Legislative Council and became increasingly sympathetic with the pro-democracy cause. On the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which he referred to as "suppressing students was surely wrong."Associated Press (25 February 2009). "HK pro-China politician condemns Tiananmen actions". China Post. Retrieved 30 December 2014. In the run-up to the 2012 Chief Executive election, he was noted for his relatively liberal views on issues such as universal suffrage,Luk, Eddie (28 February 2012). "I'm out (...at least for now)." The Standard. Retrieved 30 December 2014. and initially expressed interest in putting himself forward as a candidate, before later backing out.
After the legislative vote of the 2015 Hong Kong electoral reform in which the pro-Beijing camp legislators undertook a controversial and embarrassing walkout, the Oriental Daily published leaked messages in which Tsang was seen to have discussed voting strategy with a pro-Beijing legislator in a WhatsApp group before the electoral reform package and suggesting the legislators delay their speeches so that the pan-democrats could not control the timing of the vote. The pan-democrats questioned Tsang's neutrality in the chamber, seeing the text messages as "clear evidence" that he was colluding with the rest of the government's allies and planned to mull a no-confidence vote against him. He apologised to the legislators but refused to resign.
In annual polls conducted by the University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Programme, Tsang was voted "Hong Kong’s most popular Legislative Councillor" for each of the last 13 years he was in office, 2004-2016 inclusive. In 2016, his support rating was 63.1 percent, ahead of, in order, Regina Ip with 49.6 percent, Alan Leong with 48.2 percent and Starry Lee with a 45.6 percent. LegCo Pres. Jasper Tsang retains title as most popular lawmaker for 13th consecutive poll, Hong Kong Free Press, 22 April 2016 On 1 July 2015, Tsang was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the SAR's highest honour, in recognition of his public service, particularly his presidency of the Legislative Council.
Tsang's younger brother, Tsang Tak-sing, is a pro-establishment politician who served as the Secretary for Home Affairs from 2017 to 2015.
In February 2017, Tsang was revealed to have had a critical heart condition and underwent angioplasty surgery. Speaking shortly afterwards, he said, "I have narrowly escaped death."
See also
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Categories: 1947 Births, Alumni Of St. Paul's College, Hong Kong, Alumni Of The University Of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Educators, Leaders Of Political Parties, Living People, Politicians From Guangzhou, People's Republic Of China Politicians From Guangdong, Members Of The Executive Council Of Hong Kong, Members Of The Provisional Legislative Council, Members Of The Selection Committee Of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Affairs Advisors, Hk Legco Members 1998–2000, Hk Legco Members 2000–2004, Hk Legco Members 2004–2008, Hk Legco Members 2008–2012, Hk Legco Members 2012–2016, Recipients Of The Gold Bauhinia Star, Recipients Of The Grand Bauhinia Medal, Educators From Guangdong, 20th-century Chinese Politicians, 21st-century Chinese Politicians, Presidents Of The Legislative Council Of Hong Kong
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