Hongkongers jealous of mainlanders, say city's own representatives

Scathing comments from city's own delegates to Guangdong committee caught on camera

Friday, 25 January, 2013, 8:00am

Stuart Lau stuart.lau@scmp.com

Poll

Do you agree with HongKong’s CPPCC delegates that Hongkongers are jealous of wealthy mainlanders?

Yes: 27%
No: 73%

25 Jan 2013

Hong Kong members of Guangdong's provincial advisory body were slammed as ignorant and unfit for their jobs yesterday after they were seen on television saying Hongkongers were ungrateful to the Communist Party and jealous of wealthy mainlanders.

The comments were made at a meeting of the Hong Kong subcommittee of the Guangdong municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

"You scold the government for being weak every day. You scold the Communist Party every day. You scold China every day," one delegate, Li Hong, said of Hong Kong people. "If you didn't have the Communist Party, didn't have China, you wouldn't even have water."

Li, a mainland-born businessman who moved from Guangdong to Hong Kong in 1984, went on: "You in Hong Kong have so much democracy - what have you done? If the door was shut, without mainland compatriots spending money, what would Hong Kong have? What economic source would you have?"

Li, who has told the Hong Kong-based Chinese newspaper Wen Wei Po his idol is Mao Zedong, sponsored four schools to subscribe to the pro-Beijing broadsheet for a year in 2007. He is the director of electronics producer Hong Shing Enterprises.

Ng Wai-kuen, who runs garment company Fusion International Holdings in Hong Kong, said: "Now [mainlanders] spend money to buy things in Hong Kong [but Hongkongers] kick them out."

Ng, who moved from the mainland to Hong Kong in 1979, said local people were "green-eyed and disappointed" about "well-off compatriots on the mainland".

"Our shops on Canton Road, so many well-known brands, who buys there? Most Hongkongers only go shopping at Luohu [Commercial] Centre [in Shenzhen]."

The comments, which came amid concerns in Hong Kong over increasing numbers of mainland visitors and closer integration with Guangdong, drew strong criticism.

"As delegates to the conference, they were appointed to reflect the true views [of Hongkongers] and offer concrete solutions to problems in Hong Kong," City University political scientist James Sung Lap-kung said.

"Such viewpoints show they were below standard to take up their roles," Sung said.

An online user left a comment on the website of Cable TV, which broadcast the conference, saying: "These people are short-sighted and know nothing. They confuse right and wrong."

Another wrote: "So Hong Kong's sole economic source is the solo travel scheme?"

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Hongkongers are 'ungrateful and jealous of mainlanders'

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This article is now closed to comments

ssslmcs01 Jan 28th 2013
10:28am

Ignorant and unfit for their jobs is an understatement. It is more like blantant disregard for Hong Kong people and our core values.
Implying that we have water because of the communist party is ridiculous. Any reasonalble regime in China would SELL water to Hong Kong, not just the communist party.
We have had to put up with ever increasing numbers of Chinese visitors to Hong Kong since 2003 when the individual visitor scheme was introduced. The average citizen in Hong Kong has suffered because of this, competing for basic daily needs like infant milk formula skyrocketing house prices due to speculators, much of the money from questionable sources like the Guangdong man convicted last week of money laundering. Who knows how many more like him are filtering money through Hong Kong. The retailers in some districts are busier than ever but the salaries of the workers has only gone up marginally, not even close to keeping up with the cost of living. Yeah, this scheme has been good for the likes of the richest Hong Kongers.
And don't forget that we need to compete for places in our own schools against the children of Chinese parents born in Hong Kong.
If we are jealous why were 30+ thousand Chinese coming to Hong Kong over the last number of years to deliver their babies? Why weren't Hong Kongers going over to China to deliver their babies and fighting for a Chinese Hukou (household registration.
I say Li Hong should go back to Guangdong and leave his HKID here.

Camel Jan 26th 2013
8:36pm

Recently, when the topic of our conversation with friends from the Mainland was about Hongkong, they told me, for them the situation of HK and their current sentiments against Mainlanders is nothing more than a going by period. Nothing to be upset of or worry. For them the matter is crystal clear, that soon, many of those who are waving the Union flag and Mainland haters will leave the city as HK will for sure suffer economically and financially from the substraction of the support from the CN Government. It actually, already started, when the new apointed president was asked this July by HKs Government Delegation what to expect as this years "Bon Bon" - "nothing". But the area around Shenzhen - "much". So, also for me I would say: "Bye" and hoping your British friends are welcoming you to their GREAT Britain.

A Hong Konger Jan 25th 2013
10:26pm

Without question these people have no moral right to represent Hong Kong in any capacity. To be fair, the lowest of us, the miserly money grubbers, lament that they no longer feel superior as they once did in the face of Mainland prosperity (sadly I've met one and could barely contain my anger). But these vapid charactertures of a by-gone era do not represent the millions of hard working and alienated Hong Kongers who feel their dignity and livelihood being stripped away by the end result of mainland policy. These vile animals, Li and Ng, insults us while they play their own shameful charactertures of a by-gone era; the grovelling Manchu official in the emperors court, whose idol is one of the greatest mass ****s of the 20th century. Repugnant! The Party loves to hear their own bemoan how their heroic efforts to placate the ungrateful Hong Kongers have nothing to do with their own incompetence, rather jealously at the success of 'real' Chinese. But if they bothered to pull their ears away from these filthy pigs, perhaps they might actually hear our voices, we are loud enough to be heard. But it is systemic that the mainland will always ignore us, this is the best it will ever be under China and as our rights diminish the antagonism will only grow. "If the door was shut, without mainland compatriots spending money, what would Hong Kong have?" Our future in our own hands. But perhaps Li's word are prophetic, perhaps it will be us that will shut the door on China.

ejmciii Jan 25th 2013
8:33pm

And Hong Kong people elected these brazen fools? No? We don't get to elect them? They are appointed by the executive? The same executive appointed by Beijing? Really. How can that be? Hmm, perhaps they are pulling a Jackie Chan and sucking up to those who pay their tab rather than the people they are supposed to represent. Perhaps CY will terminate them for their insolence. No, not on the cards as he has been ordered to agree with them.

jackiewong228 Jan 25th 2013
7:11pm

No one can say what the outcome would be like if HK wasn't part of China. I'm sure HK can survive on it's own too. Singapore is probably the best example.

waynewing Jan 25th 2013
2:56pm

"mainland background" is truth, so is most part of what they've said

andreaswagner Jan 25th 2013
1:46pm

Having Hong Kong represented by a bunch of **** which are originally from the mainland is of course asking for problems. What do you expect them to do, other than parroting the party line, like the rest of the CCP drones there.

crbfile Jan 25th 2013
12:09pm

furthermore, mainlanders are storming shops for milk-powder. this is clearly,fully and certainly a nonsensical and inflammatory attack on Mainlanders. Supply and Demand! Hong Kong has no way to supply milk-powder to Mainlanders? Is there a world shortage? Hong Kong has been bitching about this for years. There is no way, no way to increase the supply in Hong Kong? It's pure bull-sh*t and rabble rousing in HK.

likingming Jan 25th 2013
12:05pm

China should help HK to find rubish dumping site and give HK more land for housing projects.
Then Hongkongers shall turn their jealousy into thanks.

crbfile Jan 25th 2013
12:04pm

it's entirely true, Hong Kong is utterly lacking in gratitude for the big teet of Mainland China.
Without that teet all of Hong Kong would revert to a vast and remote nature park devoid of all but a few sunburned fishermen.