Hong Kong property tycoons turn heads at poll, urge voters to fulfil civic duty

Hong Kong’s property tycoons made high-profile appearances to cast their ballots during Sunday’s Legislative Council election and urged the public to fulfil their civic duty.

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) chairman and managing director Raymond Kwok Ping-luen voted at the Wong Chuk Hang Sports Centre in Aberdeen on Sunday morning.

SHKP said it had introduced several measures to encourage its staff and the public to fulfil their civic duty by voting to elect capable candidates.

The Legco poll, the second since Beijing’s “patriots-only” electoral overhaul, had 161 candidates competing for 90 seats as the city grieved over last month’s Tai Po fire, which killed 159 people.

SHKP said Kwok extended his deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and his sympathies to those injured.

A company spokesman added that Kwok believed the new Legco would support and supervise the government in law-abiding governance, guiding Hong Kong’s progress “from stability to prosperity, advancing good governance, accelerating economic development, and improving people’s livelihoods”.