Kowloon East candidates in the upcoming Legislative Council elections pointed out key challenges in the district including an aging population and transport congestion, during a government-organised election forum on Thursday.

Bill Tang, a lawmaker from the Federation of Trade Unions with more than 20 years in politics, highlighted his efforts in pushing for the cancellation of the MPF offsetting mechanism and the elimination of subdivided flats. He said he is deeply concerned about elderly welfare, noting that Kowloon East has a particularly high proportion of older residents.

“There have been many tragic cases where elderly people suffered accidents at home without anyone knowing,” Tang said.

“I don’t want to see such tragedies again, so over the past two years, my team and I, together with university students and scholars, conducted a survey of elderly households in Kwun Tong. The goal was to create a registry to better support them in the community.”

DAB district councillor Cheung Pui-kong said he cares about people from all walks of life and will focus on issues such as foreign labour, primary healthcare and childcare services.

“I call for improving the housing ladder to help young people move upward,” Cheung said.

“I urge the government to increase childcare places to free up the female workforce, and to enhance elderly care services and develop the silver economy so that seniors can enjoy their later years in comfort.”

DAB lawmaker Ngan Man-yu highlighted his efforts during his tenure to promote a green mass transit system aimed at easing traffic congestion in the district and improving transport options for residents living far from MTR stations. He also expressed support for resuming the sale of public housing units to offer more home-ownership opportunities.

“In the next four years in Legco, I hope to resume the sale of public housing, giving residents who wish to own a home more opportunities for upward mobility,” Ngan said.

Chan Chun-hung, a healthtech engineering manager, said although he is running without the backing of major political parties, he would do his best to bring change and serve as a bridge between the public and the government.

“If you don’t want to stand still, you should bravely cast your vote for change,” Chan said.

“I promise to focus on practical governance and put people first. I will strengthen the bridge role to make the legislature more effective, ensure government policies are more down-to-earth, and use data to reflect the diverse voices of the people.”

Leung Sze-wan, a teacher and district councillor, said she hopes to boost economic activities and promote cultural and waterfront development in Kowloon East.

“There are more than 700,000 residents and over 200,000 workers in Kowloon East,” Leung said. “If people spend and support businesses within the district, our local economy will thrive.”

A total of 39 “Patriots Collaborate for Good Governance” election forums are being organised by the government, covering the geographical, functional and Election Committee constituencies.

All the forums are being broadcast live on RTHK TV31 and RTHK Radio 1.