How ex-Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying has become an unlikely scourge of the establishment
Ex-Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying has emerged as an unlikely and candid thorn in the side of the city's establishment
Former Observatory director Lam Chiu-ying's opposition to the government's idea of turning space in country parks into land for housing has been seen by some as the latest sign of a rift among a group of high-profile figures who are considered supporters of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying.
But the 64-year-old retired civil servant says that while in general he backs the government, he is not a "Leung supporter". His comments on the housing issue merely reflected his love of nature and a desire to speak up for others who share that love.
Lam, who helped draft environmental policies for Leung's election manifesto, says he hopes the public will allow Leung's administration more time to overturn the "mistakes" of his predecessor Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, especially those that he says have led to a land and housing shortage and soaring property prices.
The row over country parks was triggered by a blog post by Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po on September 8, which said society should discuss and explore the possibility of developing country parks - an idea Chan said had been raised at various seminars. More land would be needed to reach the housing target proposed by an advisory committee to build 470,000 flats in the next 10 years, Chan said.
The proposal was seen as a radical departure from Leung's election pledge that country parks "should be protected from development as far as possible".
Nevertheless, it was endorsed by pro-establishment figures such as Heung Yee Kuk chairman Lau Wong-fat and former chief secretary David Akers-Jones.
Real Estate Developers Association vice-president Gordon Wu Ying-sheung also said that maintaining the current ratio of country park land was "impractical and stupid".