District councillor resigns amid Wang Fuk Court proxy vote scandal

Tai Po District Councillor Peggy Wong, who was involved in the Wang Fuk Court proxy vote controversy, resigns from her position citing health reasons.

Addressing the situation, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak says law enforcement will continue dealing with the incident surrounding the proxy votes.

This as the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau stresses there is no urgency to find a by-election.

Months after the tragic fire that took the lives of more than a hundred people at Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court, concerns remain among the community about the involvement of bid-rigging in the housing estate's renovation project.

Earlier, Tai Po District Councillor Peggy Wong confirmed during a hearing at the Independent Committee investigating the Tai Po Fire that her district office handled 279 proxy votes, of which 20 were received by her.

She emphasised she did not raise any suggestions for the tender evaluation.

This as the independent committee indicated at least three votes were suspected to have come from deceased property owners of Wang Fuk Court.

Wong resigned from her district councillor position on Saturday citing health reasons.

When asked whether mechanisms exist for authorities to handle matters related to proxy votes, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak says she will leave such incidents to law enforcement personnel.

Mak adds Wong, who failed to attend independent committee hearings on several occasions owing to health problems, had followed protocol and provided necessary documents to authorities.

The home and youth affairs chief emphasises the government will not reveal the details of Wong's resignation due to privacy reasons.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau says it may hold district council elections at the end of next year, noting there is no urgency to hold a by-election.