Teary Tanya Chan Bids Farewell To Legco

An emotional Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said on Tuesday that she is leaving her lawmaker role in order to take care of her health and spend more time with her mother, but added that she respects her party's decision to stay in the extended Legco.

Chan said lawmakers staying on in Legco will face bigger pressure and challenges for the coming year, and she is thankful that her colleagues did not see her as running away from the battle.

Speaking to reporters at a briefing punctuated with swelling tears and broken voice, Chan said stepping down as a lawmaker was not an easy decision, but that she had been thinking about leaving politics for a while.

I didn't think her departure would attract so much attention, she said.

She said she had experienced a lot during her tenure as legislator, but as she nears 50 years of age she said she has been thinking about doing something new, and that operation she underwent last year to remove brain tumour has made her rethink her path.

Chan said she wants to take the time to get some rest and spend more time with her mother while they are both healthy.

“It’s very difficult for me to learn that my mother stayed outside the operation room for five hours due to my brain operation and cried for a total five hours, and I owe her too much and I really hope that we can spend some quality time together," she said, her voice faltering and tears swelling up.

"At the same time I don’t want to put all the burden on my mother because my political life affect her for a very, very long time, so I do believe that my colleagues do share my same feelings, and so I really want to be with her, and her without any pressure."

She said she would continue to support the pro-democracy camp as a regular Hong Kong resident, and that she will continue to be "a fan" of the Civic Party, but she will no lot stand for election or accept interviews.

Civic Party lawmakers were among 21 legislators in the opposition camp who had decided to stay on in the extended Legco while Ray Chan, and Chu Hoi-dick had also said they will not.