Internal struggles, radicalism exhausting HK: Finance Committee head

Hong Kong is being dragged into an era of internal friction caused by extremists and those advocating "mutual destruction", Chan Kin-por, chairman of the Legislative Council Finance Committee, said on Friday.

Chan said this is one of the most challenging times for Hong Kong – with society being exhausted by internal struggles and radicalism. The turmoil caused by radical forces and "mutual destruction" supporters had led to an unprecedented recession in Hong Kong, he said.

Stepping down after four years as head of the LegCo Finance Committee, Chan warned that the intensifying radicalism that Hong Kong faces now may well last into the future, which will lead the city nowhere.

There are people purportedly directing the public's anger at the government, resulting in many residents casting votes based on their emotions.

"The younger generation played no part in building Hong Kong. They have no right to destroy the hard-earned achievements of previous generations," he said.

Chan told reporters that in the past year, the Finance Committee has held 56 meetings – its longest hours. It has approved 85 financial proposals involving HK$446.5 billion ($57.6 billion) – the highest for years.

Eight out of the remaining 21 items on the agenda were approved at the last meeting of the current session of the LegCo Finance Committee on Friday.

He expressed regret that the Finance Committee could not consider the proposed funding of HK$550 million for a pre-stage study of the government's Lantau Tomorrow Vision reclamation project. The project, which aims to provide between 260,000 and 400,000 residential units, met widespread opposition citing financial and environmental concerns after it was proposed in the 2018 Policy Address.

Lantau Tomorrow is the key to solving the housing problem facing the younger generation, Chan said.

The government's insufficient promotion of the project was the primary reason for the support won by opponents who made "superficial statements", he said, without elaborating.

He urged the government to use "transparent" social media platforms and consult public-relations experts to make Hong Kong people better understand government policies.

Chan also said government officials should not shy away from criticisms of their work, and should provide substantial answers to inquiries from lawmakers, instead of answering questions in a "rote" manner.

"Each one of them represents the government," he said. "Officials should be more united and avoid passing the buck".