Press Release
Chinese youth seeks to be the youngest ever European MEP in London

Princess Diana Award winner Steven Cheung announced his intention to seek support to stand in the forthcoming European Election. At just 19, he could become the youngest ever Member of the European Parliament if elected.

Cheung was born in Hong Kong and grew up in London. His father is Chinese and his mother from Philippines. He remembered his arrival in the UK when he was 11, “It is often difficult for immigrants like us to settle in a new country, trying to maintain our cultural identity, while at the same time under pressure to integrate into the society at large.”

He said he will use this opportunity to show that it is possible for people from different cultures to live together and respect each other. He believes that the Chinese can be a minority yet have their voices heard. ”The key is to stand up and be counted, express our needs and find common goals.” said Cheung.

In the last 12 months, Cheung has been taking a gap year from his studies. He was elected the London 2012 Olympic Ambassador for Waltham Forest and then appointed by the Ministry of Justice as a Young Advisor. He was consulted for his viewpoints as a young person by the police last week on security issues for the G20 summit. He also meets with Jack Straw, the Lord Chancellor and Hazel Blears, the Secretary for Communities with his advisory work.

Cheung feels passionate about the rights for everyone, especially those vulnerable minorities. He said: “The more I meet with government officials, the more I realize there is so little representation for people like us. I think we need a strong voice for the Chinese and for the ethnic communities. And of course, a stronger voice from young people too”

The Royal Institution member is also a radio DJ on Spectrum, a multi-ethnic radio for the international communities in London. On Thursday, he would present a popular music show at SW1, the Westminster community radio as well. “I pick up a lot of issues from my listeners, and it is not always easy to help them. In the long run, we really need someone to represent us at the right places. That is part of the reason why I have decided to stand.” he said.
Over the next two weeks, Cheung will be visiting different community groups, meeting people with businesses, talking to different organizations and most of all, ordinary people in the community. He promises to listen to their concern and learned their problems, so that he can formulate his manifesto based on the real needs and concern of the community. He also wants to use the two weeks to find out if there is enough support for him from the community before he formally announces his candidacy. “I hope they will give me a mandate to stand on their behalf.” said Cheung.

The European Election is not for the faint hearted. There is a minimum deposit requirement of £5000. “That is one reason why you have so few young people standing.” said Cheung, who will be fund-raising hard while seeking to standing as an Independent.

As a member of the BC project, which was launched 3 years ago by human rights solicitor Christine Lee, Cheung has already won support from the founder of the project herself. In her special message at the launch, Lee said, “I’m really encouraged when I found out one of our member is standing for the European Parliament. This is a big step for the British Chinese as well as for the European Chinese. We have stayed silent for over a hundred and fifty years and it is important we have our voice heard.”
The BC project has actively encouraged many young people to integrate into British politics and Christine Lee hopes that Steven will become the first British Chinese to step foot into the European Parliament, “I hope more young people will come forwards like Steven and we will be happy to give them our full support. I hope more people can represent our views and build bridges among our communities.”

There is an estimate of over 200 thousand Chinese residing in the London constituency at the European Parliament election. In the 2004 poll, the number of votes required to win a seat was just over 150 thousands. In theory, Cheung can win one of the eight seats this June if he manages to secure all the Chinese votes. However there has been a long history of low turnout among the Chinese voters and Cheung will need to work hard to change their attitude.
“I am different from other candidates because I am a “Doer”, not a “Talker”. I will listen to the people, and bring their voices into Europe because, as an independent, I won’t be restraint by party lines” Cheung explained.

The European Parliament election will be the biggest trans-national election in history. Almost 500 million European citizens in 27 countries are eligible to vote, as 736 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected for a five-year term. And this time round, the Chinese community might be making their own history if they all come out together and send one of their own to Europe.