The Business and Professionals Alliance (BPA) expanded its presence and reach to Kowloon with the official opening of an office in Sham Shui Po today (March 29). The BPA’s other offices currently include the Hong Kong Island headquarters, New Territories East Branch and New Territories West Branch. Dr Ko Wing-man, Secretary for Food and Health, Mr Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment, Mr He Jing, Kowloon Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Mr Edward Yau Tang-wah, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, and other guests attended a roast pig carving ceremony to celebrate the opening ceremony.
Prominent BPA members, Mr Andrew Leung, Mr Jeffrey Lam, Dr. Lo Wai-kwok, Dr Priscilla Leung, and Mr Fong Ping, were also on hand to join their fellow District Council members and community executives. Other attending dignitaries included Mr Yau Shing-mu, Under Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr James Lau, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Jimmy Kwok, Chairman of Sham Shui Po District Council, Mr Benjamin Mok, the District Officer of Sham Shui Po, as well as other community leaders and residents.
In his ceremonial speech, Mr Andrew Leung, BPA Chairman, said that although the middle-class was pivotal to social stability their contributions were often overlooked. The BPA firmly believes in the need to cater for the needs and interests of this important segment of Hong Kong’s community and have previously put forward a number of policy and budget recommendations to government on providing relief to the middle-class. The new office, which is located at Banyan Garden – a popular neighborhood for middle-class families in West Kowloon – will be instrumental in fulfilling the BPA’s mission of working closely and improving communications with this part of the population.
The BPA has had a long history and close ties with the Sham Shui Po community as reflected by the extent of BPA representatives in and from the area, for example, Dr Priscilla Leung, Legislative Councilor for Kowloon West Geographical Constituency, and Mr Jimmy Kwok, BPA founding member and Chairman of the Sham Shui Po District Council. Furthermore, four of the five BPA members who sit on the Sham Shui Po District Council are also members of the Kowloon West New Dynamic, a local political party spanning the Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, and Yau Tsim Mong Districts. Mr Andrew Leung pointed out that Kowloon West New Dynamic and the BPA both share the motto of a “Business stimulates economy and Professionalism improves livelihood”. The BPA will continue to work closely with Kowloon West New Dynamic to strengthen and broaden the delivery of community services.
Mr Edward Yau Tang-wah, Director of the Chief Executive’s Office, said that despite its recent establishment two years ago the BPA clearly ‘has its finger on society’s pulse’. He wished the BPA well in using its professional knowledge and expertise in the areas of business, environment, and education for the benefit and welfare of the local community.
Mr He Jing, Kowloon Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, encouraged the BPA and West Kowloon Dynamic to grasp the opportunity of joining hands to work closely together to improve the quality of life in Sham Shui Po. He also praised the BPA for extending its outreach to Sham Shui Po and looked forward to the opening of more offices across Kowloon in the near future.
Mr Jeffrey Lam, BPA Vice Chairman, commended the location of the Sham Shui Po Office, which was located at the main entrance of the shopping mall. Given the traffic volume around that area, the location is ideal in facilitating interaction with and therefore beneficial to promoting a better understanding of local aspirations.
The establishment of Sham Shui Po Office signifies a new chapter in the expansion of the BPA’s community service in Kowloon. Through the efforts of its twenty-five district members, the BPA plans to share its vision more broadly across Hong Kong and to provide better community service by setting up more branches and offices throughout different districts in Hong Kong.