Tam Yiu-chung

Tam Yiu-chung, GBM, JP (born 15 December 1949, Hong Kong) is a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the New Territories West constituency from 1998 to 2016. He was a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong from 1997 to 2002. He was the chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) from 2007 to 2015.

Tam was born in a Hakka family of Huiyang ancestry. In 1968, when he was a 19-year-old window display designer, he joined a retail union. He later rose to be the vice-chairman in 1975 and become one of the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the largest pro-Communist trade union in Hong Kong, with Cheng Yiu-tong in 1982. In 1985, he was first elected to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in the first ever Legislative Council election as a Labour representative. He was also appointed to the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee which responsible for the drafting of the mini-constitution of Hong Kong after 1997.

In 1992, he co-founded the pro-Beijing party the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) with other local pro-Communist leaders. He became the founding vice-chairman of the party. In the 1995 Legislative Council elections, he gave up his Legislative Council seat in the labour constituency to fight for the Kowloon Southeast, one of 18 geographical constituencies elected by the public at large, but narrowly defeated by the Demcoratic Party candidate Fred Li Wah-ming, finishing a little over 2,000 votes behind.

In 1996, he was elected to the Provisional Legislative Council tightly controlled by Beijing on the eve of the unification by the 400-strong Selection Committee. In the first SAR Legislative Council election, he was elected through the New Territories West.

In 1997, he was appointed by Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to the Executive Council which he served until 2002. He was also appointed chairman of the Elderly Commission from 1997 to 2005. In 1999, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star by the government.

After the 2003 District Council election the DAB's disastrous performance, the party chairman Tsang Yok-sing resigned from his office and succeeded by Ma Lik. He was re-elected to become the vice-chairman for the second time. In 2007, after being acting chairman for the preceding three weeks, he succeeded Ma Lik who died of cancer to become the party chairman. In February 2015, he announced that he will step down as DAB chairman to open the door for a new generation of leaders. On 17 April 2015, Starry Lee Wai-king succeeded Tam in the party's leadership election.

Tam Yiu-chung is also a Hong Kong deputy to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since 2003, member of the Board of Directors of International Social Service-HK for providing refugee support on behalf of HK Government.

Tam studied Adult Education at Australian National University and Trade Union Studies at the London Metropolitan University. He is married with two sons.