Alice Mak (politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Alice Mak Mei-kuen
Native Name Lang:zh-Hant-HK
Office:Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs
Term Start:1 July 2022
Predecessor:Position established
Office1:Member of the Legislative Council
Term Start1:1 January 2022
Term End1:18 June 2022
Constituency1:Election Committee
Predecessor1:New constituency
Successor1:Adrian Ho
Term Start2:1 October 2012
Term End2:31 December 2021
Predecessor2:Wong Kwok-hing
Successor2:Constituency abolished
Constituency2:New Territories West
Office3:Member of the Kwai Tsing District Council
Term Start3:1 October 1994
Term End3:31 December 2019
Predecessor3:New constituency
Successor3:Sin Ho Fai
Constituency3:Wai Ying
Birth Date:1 November 1971
Birth Place:Hong Kong
Party:Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions
Residence:Tsing Yi, New Territories
Alma Mater:CNEC Christian College
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Occupation:Legislative Councillor
Signature:Alice Mak Mei-kuen signature.svg
Module:
Child:yes
T:麥美娟
S:麦美娟
P:Mài Měijuān
Y:Mahk Méih-gyūn
First:t

Alice Mak Mei-kuen (; born 1 November 1971)[1] is a Hong Kong politician, currently serving as Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs. She was formerly a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong for the Election Committee, representing the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions. She graduated from Department of English of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has been a member of the Kwai Tsing District Council since 1993, and represented the Wai Ying constituency until 2019.

Political career

Mak was handpicked by Wong Kwok-hing to run in the 2012 Hong Kong legislative election.[2] [3] [4] She came in 8th place after Civic Party's Kwok Ka-ki received the most votes, and was elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong with 7.07% electorate support.[5] Mak also participated in the 2016 legislative election, coming in 6th place after popular localist camp Eddie Chu topped the race with the most votes. She kept her seat on the Legislative Council after receiving 49,680 votes, which represented 8.32% of the electorate.[6]

She lost her seat in the District Council during the 2019 elections following a general rout of pro-Beijing candidates amidst the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests.[7] She was defeated by Civic Party's Henry Sin Ho-fai, losing to him with 40.12% of the votes.[8] Mak admitted that she, along with other pro-establishment candidates, lost because the Hong Kong government "provoked many people with its way of administering".[9]

On 18 June 2022, she resigned from the Legislative Council to become Hong Kong's Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.[10]

Controversies and views

Insulting Carrie Lam with profanities

During the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, Chief Executive Carrie Lam called for a meeting on 18 June with pro-Beijing lawmakers in Government House to explain her reasoning for suspending the controversial 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill. It was reported that Mak, who had publicly supported the bill in solidarity with the government up to this point, berated the chief executive for around five minutes using Cantonese profanities until Lam appeared to be in tears, to which Mak retorted in tears, "what use is crying now? You know how to cry, I do too!".[11] The account was confirmed by a leaked conversation between pro-Beijing lawmaker Christopher Cheung and Independent Police Complaints Council chairman Anthony Neoh, who did not realise their microphones were still on during their breaks.[12]

On 19 June, Mak was asked about the truthfulness of the account, but Mak refused to reveal the details of the meeting, stressing that the pro-Beijing camp does not support the government blindly.[13] Hong Kong's two civil service unions, the Hong Kong Chinese Civil Servants’ Association and the Federation of Civil Service Unions, urged Mak to address the accusation and apologise to Carrie Lam if the reports were true.

National security law

In October 2020, Mak pushed for an inquiry into whether filibustering at LegCo should be considered illegal, against the newly-enacted National Security Law.[14]

Flag raising

In February 2021, Mak insisted that universities in Hong Kong should be mandated to hold a weekly flag-raising ceremony of the PRC flag.[15]

Patriots

In March 2021, Mak supported changes proposed by the NPCSC to allow only "patriots" to govern Hong Kong, and claimed that the public was being misled by foreign forces, claiming that "I think the [Hong Kong] government should explain the articles in the Constitution [that electoral reform is under the NPC's purview], otherwise the public will be misled by these wrongful arguments put forward by foreign forces."[16]

In April 2021, Mak claimed of the changes that "This is for the benefit of the whole society, so I hope the people of Hong Kong will vote in the coming election and I do hope that we'll have a high voting rate" and that the government should spread more propaganda on the changes.[17]

Passports

In April 2021, Mak said that candidates to the Legislative Council should disclose if they have foreign passports, including BN(O) passports.[18]

Police state

In June 2021, Mak said that there would be nothing wrong if Hong Kong were a police state; later, she claimed she was being sarcastic.[19]

Youth Development Blueprint

In December 2022, Mak said of youth that "We think understanding the nation is the first step of growing-up," and the Youth Development Blueprint would encourage nationhood, China's history, the Basic Law, and strengthening their sense of nationality.[20]

District Council

In May 2023, after the government announced plans to reduce the number of democratically elected District Council seats, Ming Pao newspaper published a cartoon which made fun of the changes; Mak said she strongly condemned the cartoon.[21]

In July 2023, Mak said that people should not be concerned with low voter turnout for the next district council elections, saying "The voter turnout rate is affected by many factors, for example there is a rain, or the current weather which can reach up to 40°C, or the previous typhoon… Voter turnout rate is not the only factor we consider."[22] A government office announced that 2023 was the second consecutive year in which voter registration dropped, including a 10% drop in voters under age 30.[23]

Glorious Fast Food artwork

In August 2023, the Home Affairs Bureau warned that artwork outside of a restaurant could violate the national security law and said "When we saw the artwork, my colleagues issued reminders that it might be easily associated with [black violence or Hong Kong independence]."[24] Mak dismissed concerns over its removal, though Legislative Council member Gary Zhang Xinyu disagreed and said private property rights should be respected.

Personal life

On 23 February 2022, Mak was the second lawmaker after Edmund Wong to have tested positive for COVID-19.[25]

References

HKEX:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 麥美娟 職業:立法會議員 年齡:50. 2021年立法會選舉. 2021-12-19.
  2. Web site: 2008–2011 Kwai Tsing District Council Members. Kwai Tsing District Council. 2011. 10 September 2012. https://archive.today/20121218195717/http://www.dckwaitsing.org.hk/~dckt1/English/DistrictInfo/member_19.html. 18 December 2012. dead.
  3. Web site: Mak, Alice Mei Kuen. Webb-site.com. 2012. 10 September 2012.
  4. News: FTU old guard lead young to battle. Ip. Kelly. The Standard. 7 September 2012. 10 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140221223308/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?sid=37571299. 21 February 2014. dead.
  5. Web site: LegCo Election overall results. 19 July 2020. www.info.gov.hk.
  6. Web site: 5 September 2016. 2.2 million people cast their votes for 2016 Legislative Council election. 19 July 2020. Lifewire.
  7. Web site: 2019 District Councils Election – Election Results (Kwai Tsing). Government of Hong Kong.
  8. Web site: 2019 District Councils Election - Election Results (Kwai Tsing). 19 July 2020. www.elections.gov.hk.
  9. Web site: Pao. Jeff. 25 November 2019. Lam blamed, by losers as well as winners. 19 July 2020. Asia Times. en-US.
  10. Web site: 88年任青年大使 麥美娟盼社會棄立場先行. 27 June 2022 . skypost.ulifestyle.com.hk . zh.
  11. News: 麥美娟向林鄭爆粗「X街」 建制派怨氣大爆發. 18 June 2019. 星島日報. 19 June 2019.
  12. Web site: Did lawmaker shout profanity at Carrie Lam? Unions demand answer. 22 June 2019. South China Morning Post. en. 25 November 2019.
  13. News: 傳麥美娟閉門會議上「怒x林鄭」 麥美娟拒透露會面內容:建制派無盲撐政府. 19 June 2019. 香港經濟日報. 19 June 2019.
  14. Web site: Wong. Rachel. 29 October 2020. Hong Kong legislature head mulls limiting debates to curb filibustering as democrats cry foul. 29 October 2020. Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. en-GB.
  15. Web site: 18 February 2021. Lawmakers insist Hong Kong universities also be held to new rules on flag-raising. 18 February 2021. South China Morning Post. en.
  16. Web site: 26 March 2021. First meeting of Hong Kong election overhaul committee told it cannot change Beijing's blueprint. 26 March 2021. Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. en-GB.
  17. Web site: Lawmaker urges more propaganda to boost poll turnout - RTHK. 14 April 2021. news.rthk.hk. en-gb.
  18. Web site: Legislature hopefuls should reveal foreign passports: pro-Beijing lawmaker | Apple Daily. 22 April 2021. Apple Daily 蘋果日報. zh-hk. 22 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210422163924/https://hk.appledaily.com/news/20210422/ZSF3BPAS4BD3NC6XUOBD6ISS2U/. dead.
  19. Web site: Overstatement to say HK is a police state: official - RTHK. 1 July 2021. news.rthk.hk. en-gb.
  20. Web site: Lee . Peter . 2022-12-21 . Plan to address youth issues and nurture patriotism in young Hongkongers lacking, critics say . 2022-12-21 . Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . en-GB.
  21. Web site: Leung . Hillary . 2023-05-10 . Hong Kong gov't lashes out at Ming Pao cartoon satirising small-circle committees . 2023-05-10 . Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . en-GB.
  22. Web site: Ho . Kelly . Deciding whether to join Hong Kong's next District Council election 'tough and painful,' says Democratic Party vice-chief - Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . 2023-07-20 . hongkongfp.com . en-GB.
  23. Web site: Chau . Candice . 2023-08-01 . Number of registered Hong Kong voters falls for second year in a row as District Council election confirmed for Dec. 10 . 2023-08-02 . Hong Kong Free Press HKFP . en-GB.
  24. Web site: 2023-08-25 . ‘Hong Kong eatery owner decided to remove artwork showing workers in yellow helmets’ . 2023-08-25 . South China Morning Post . en.
  25. Web site: Lawmaker Alice Mak tests positive for Covid-19 - RTHK . 2 April 2022 . news.rthk.hk . en-gb.