I joined Hang Seng Bank as a trainee back in 1974. After 31 years of effort, I left as the Assistant General Manager and Head of Insurance in May 2005. I grew together with Hang Seng Bank, and also witnessed the change of Hong Kong.
A new chapter of my career began in June 2005. I became the Chief Executive of the Munich Reinsurance Company Hong Kong Branch, the first local Chief Executive since the establishment of the branch in 1962.
Like my fellow citizens of Hong Kong, the territory is my home. I am thankful for the many precious opportunities this big family has given me to grow and progress in my career. Therefore, since 1995, I have been actively serving the insurance industry and also on public bodies, starting a journey of serving the society.
To further serve the society, I stood for the 2008 Legislative Council election to represent the Insurance Constituency with a view to speaking for the industry as well as Hong Kong at large. I was fortunate enough to be elected and became a legislator, which began my political journey. In 2012, I was successfully reelected for the Legislative Council election.
Many people may ask: What is the most important investment in life? I would say health. Also, one would gradually realize the significance of health investment when he aged. Sadly, many people before the age of 50 would give up their health in exchange for a paycheck, yet after 50, spend all they have earned to regain their health.
As a result, I am concerned about the health of our fellow citizens besides paying attention to my health and that of my family members. Therefore, in my work with Legco, I particularly pay attention to the health issues of our citizens. That includes championing health screening for everyone, fighting for better air quality, arguing for a better private health-care system, and supporting plans for health insurance. Like before, I will continue to pay attention to health issues of our citizens.
You may ask: What is the most valuable asset in life? I think the answer is family. The society is composed of tens of thousands of families. In order to have stable developments for our society, the first thing we must do is to ensure harmonious family relationships. To have a happy society, we first have to have happy families. In view of this, my political philosophy puts emphasis on the family. Regrettably, these days in Hong Kong, the family faces tremendous pressure. Parents have a hectic and burdensome life working, worrying about living conditions as well as the education of their children. They also worry about the advancement opportunities of their children once they are grown. Not only that, they worry about their children being addicted to playing video games and not sleeping at night. Let me tell you a truth: Although I have a happy family, I nevertheless experience the above-mentioned pressures. I know the importance of solving family problems. Therefore, making every family in the community happy has become my personal political ambition.
Before, I have put forward a motion called “Promote a New Occupational Culture Campaign for Work-Life Balance.” By that I hoped to promote efforts by employers and the Government to cultivate a working environment which took into account family life. These included promoting flexible working hours and providing more support services for families. Although the Goverment has not accepted my proposal indiscriminately, it has strengthened its resolve to promote “friendlier” families. This marked a great leap forward. I hope that in time, Hong Kongers will really achieve work-life balance.
My background is in banking. It goes without saying that financial issues are what I am particularly concerned about. In recent years, the competitiveness of Hong Kong has shown obvious signs of contracting. The territory’s economic developments have stalled, while our competitors look at us like a tiger glaring at its prey. Hong Kong is in an unenviable situation. What is, however, most worrisome is that many people have not detected these risks. Instead, they immersed themselves in expending themselves. The result is that Hong Kong could not concentrate its efforts on introducing economic developments. To combat this mindset, I will continue to fight for quickening the pace of the Government’s economic development efforts in Legco in order to raise the competitiveness of Hong Kong.
Lastly, I want to point out that, I have enriched my knowledge and global perspective along with my social network from my experience in public services while contributing to the well-being of the community. I look forward to more young people taking up public duties and volunteering to not only serve Hong Kong and the nation, but also live their lives.
