Hong Kong lawmaker Starry Lee attends the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, China on March 11, 2023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong’s political heavyweights spoke highly of Starry Lee Wai-king’s performance as the chairwoman of the city’s largest political party over the past eight years, after she announced her decision not to seek re-election.

The head of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong announced that she was standing down in a social media post on Tuesday, citing increasing workload and limited time. Lee emphasized that she would keep making effort to serve the country and the city.

An accountant by profession, Lee became the DAB’s first female leader and its youngest leader in 2015.  She was elected as Hong Kong’s sole member in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the nation’s top legislature

An accountant by profession, Lee became the DAB’s first female leader and its youngest leader in 2015.  She was elected as Hong Kong’s sole member in the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the nation’s top legislature.

Currently, Lee also serves as a Hong Kong deputy of the NPC, a lawmaker who represents the Kowloon Central constituency, chairperson of Legislative Council’s House Committee, and a Kowloon City district councilor.

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Gary Chan Hak-kan, vice-chairman of the DAB, expressed his gratitude to Lee for her leadership of the DAB, saying that she has guided the party forward with wise and decisive action and continuously developed and strengthened the party.

Chan said, during the time working with Lee, he felt her hands-on and pragmatic style, working tirelessly for the well-being of residents and the overall interests of society.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies told China Daily that Lee’s decision would enable her focus more on the work of the Standing Committee of the NPC.

Being the only Hong Kong member of the national committee means that doing this job well is crucial for the benefit of both the country and Hong Kong, he said.

Lau added that as a representative of all Hong Kong people, it is also beneficial for Lee to ease back on the role of political party member and focus on serving the interests of the community as a whole.

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Lau believed the next chairperson should be able to unite party members and gain the trust of the central authorities.

Holden Chow Ho-ding and Ben Chan Han-pan, both vice-chairpersons of the DAB, agreed that the party has achieved a lot under Lee's leadership over the past eight years, especially when DAB experienced its darkest moment during the 2019 social unrest.

Chow said that Lee led the party to move beyond the chaos, and as a staunch patriot, her faith in safeguarding China's sovereignty over HKSAR and one country, two systems, led DAB to overcome the string of challenges in 2019.

Chow said that the next chairman should possess outstanding leadership skills, and be a staunch patriot who is able to safeguard one country, two systems. He believes DAB has high-caliber candidate to succeed the position.

Chan said that the party members would understand Lee’s decision. Chan said he hoped Lee would continue to work with DAB members hand in hand to contribute to one country, two systems and the city’s new governance model.

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According to local media, vice-chairmen Brave Chan Yung and Gary Chan are both possible candidates to take up the chairman’s position. The vice-chairperson vacancy to be left by one of them, and the other vacancy caused by Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan’s earlier appointment as deputy secretary for justice of the Hong Kong government, may be filled by Ben Chan and Elizabeth Quat Pei-fan.

The application procedure for the executive committee of the DAB will end on August 13. The party is expected to decide on a new leadership line-up in mid- or late September.

With about 51,433 members, the DAB is the biggest political party in Hong Kong, having 19 seats in the Legislative Council.

Lee took over as the chairwoman of the DAB from Tam Yiu-chung in 2015. At the age of 25, she won the direct election in the To Kwa Wan North constituency of the Kowloon City District Council in 1999 and became the youngest female district councilor in Hong Kong at that time. She was elected to the Legislative Council in 2008 and became the vice chairperson of the DAB in 2011.