With a dishonest leader like Audrey EU, how can we trust the Civic Party?

Key words: Alan LEONG Kah-kit, Audrey EU, Jennifer Eagleton, Yvonne LEUNG Lai-kit, untrustworthy, National Democratic Institute (NDI), Occupy Central, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Civic Party, manipulating students, should apologize, Arthur LI, Peter Mathieson

Few people in Hong Kong can forget the scenes of chaos a few months ago at HKU and the allegations and counter-allegations between the Civic Party and HKU’s top management team over Arthur LI’s claim that the Civic Party was ‘manipulating’ students, based on an internship that student leader Yvonne LEUNG Lai-kit served with Alan LEONG Kah-kit of the Civic Party in 2012.

Here’s what they said:

Arthur LI’s claim of Civic Party manipulation of students

During a five-hour campus confrontation at HKU, Arthur Li Kwok-cheung accused the Civic Party of manipulating students in scenes that he described as ‘a riot’. He also pointed out that Yvonne Leung Lai-kwok, a HKU Students' Strike Organizing Committee member and a leading light in Occupy Central, had been an intern with Civic Party leader Alan Leong Kah-kit in the summer of 2012. "In the two riots that we have on campus senior members of the Civic Party were very prominent” …. "The Civic Party senior members were present and you have to ask why."¹ See report here. 

Audrey EU’s response

In response, Audrey EU wrote a lengthy letter to HKU Vice Chancellor Peter Mathieson entitled - False and grossly defamatory allegations made at (HKU) press conference on 28 January 2016, in which she stated:

I hope as the Vice Chancellor you have confidence in the free will and independent mind of your students. Even parents cannot “manipulate” their grown up children, thus you would agree how ridiculous it must be to allege that the Civic Party can “manipulate” University students.

Arthur Li’s claim for manipulation was based on the fact that one out of the many students at the scene on Tuesday had been Alan Leong’s intern. That was four years ago. I note that HKU, like all other universities, require students to do internship with various organizations including different political parties. Thus you cannot seriously think that such internship can be a basis for “manipulation”.

Arthur LI’s allegations are totally groundless and untrue

Here’s a copy of her letter (courtesy of HKU Vigilance Facebook page)

Yvonne LEUNG’s response

Here’s what Yvonne LEUNG said in response:

“I was an intern at [the Civic Party] office of Alan Leong Kah-kit four years ago, I wasn’t even enrolled in the university, and I don’t think that interning at a political party represents any further relationship with the party,”²  See report here.

Here’s what the evidence says:

The Internship

In February 2012, HKU ran an internship fair at which the Civic Party, including Alan LEONG Kah-kit offered student internships. See details here. 

Yvonne LEUNG took up one of these internships. Here’s a video showing some of the experience she gained working as an intern with Alan LEONG Kah-kit:

YouTube video of Alan LEONG with intern Yvonne LEUNG in September 2012

Jennifer Eagleton, senior member of the Civic Party

Jennifer Anne Eagleton is a senior member of the Civic Party. She was also a member of the Design Democracy Hong Kong Project Advisory Group, an NDI funded project, implemented by the NDI in partnership with HKU Law School to support the Occupy Central protests.

Jennifer Eagleton representing the Civic Party
at a UNHCR meeting in 2015

Here are details of Jennifer Eagleton’s Civic Party credentials on our post on the Design Democracy Hong Kong Project Advisory Group: See details here.

NDI logo courtesy of NDI

Civic Party meetings attended by Yvonne LEUNG

In January 2016 Yvonne LEUNG stated: “I was an intern at [the Civic Party] office of Alan Leong Kah-kit four years ago, I wasn’t even enrolled in the university, and I don’t think that interning at a political party represents any further relationship with the party,” 

On 5 September 2014, just before the Occupy Central protests commenced, Yvonne LEUNG attended a Civic Party English Language Group meeting with other student leaders. 

Here’s a photograph of Yvonne at the meeting:

Yvonne LEUNG participating in a Civic Party
English Language Group meeting in LegCo on 5 September 2015

See more details on this meeting here. See details here.

 Around 19 January 2015, Yvonne LEUNG attended a second Civic Party English Language Group meeting. 

Here’s a photograph of Yvonne at the meeting, together with comments of other participants:

Yvonne LEUNG participating in a Civic Party
English Language Group meeting around 19 January 2015
Photo courtesy of Richard Scotford Facebook page

Comments of other attendees
Photo courtesy of Richard Scotford Facebook page

Conclusion

Yvonne LEUNG was one of the student leaders during the Occupy Central protests and Civic Party member Jennifer Eagleton was an advisor on the NDI funded internet portal used to support the protests.

Furthermore, Jennifer Eagleton was the organizer of two closed door Civic Party meetings in September 2014 and January 2015 which were attended by Yvonne LEUNG. At least one, possibly both of these functions were held in the LegCo complex.

This is unequivocal evidence that Audrey EU and Yvonne LEUNG are not telling the truth. We therefore demand Audrey EU publish details of all Civic Party meetings with students before, during and after the Occupy Central protests.

We also expect both Audrey EU and Yvonne LEUNG to offer unreserved public apologies to Professor Arthur LI and Professor Peter Mathieson for misleading them and the public of Hong Kong.

Finally, remembering Audrey EU is currently Chairman of the Civic Party, we demand that she resign for her false and misleading counter allegations against Professor LI and we ask all voters in Hong Kong to seriously question whether with an untrustworthy leader like Audrey EU, Civic Party candidates are worthy of their vote.

References

¹The Standard. Li lashes out at Civic Party 'poison'. 29 January 2016. See link: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=165756

²Hong Kong Free Press. HKU class boycott committee rebut Council chair ‘smears’; deny they are controlled by political party. 28 Jan 2016. See link: https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/01/28/hku-class-boycott-committee-rebut-council-chair-smears-deny-they-are-controlled-by-political-party/

Photo and video credits

Audrey EU screenshot. Civic Party. Audrey EU Yuet-mee. See link: http://www.civicparty.hk/?q=en/node/3199

Alan LEONG Video. Bak Seatigerz on YouTube. 公民黨當人唔識法律，一次過KO梁家傑同霸氣娘娘梁麗幗. See video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1jkhqVwQLg 

Jennifer Eagleton@Deputation on UNHRC on the Third Report of the HKSAR in the light of the ICCPR. HKCivicParty on YouTube. See video at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrq3r7MGxD4