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Hong Kong lawmakers-elect urge chief executive to come clean on Wang Chau development plan
Petition by 28 pan-democrats and localists demands answers from Leung Chun-ying and calls for public consultation on controversial project
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Pressure is mounting on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to come clean on his role in a controversial housing project in Yuen Long, as 28 pan-democrat and localist lawmakers-elect yesterday signed a joint petition calling for answers.
At the crux of the controversy is the government’s plan to prioritise the construction of 4,000 public housing units on a green-belt site instead of developing a nearby brownfield plot – an environmentally damaged agricultural area – in Wang Chau in Yuen Long.
The project was scaled down from 17,000 units after private exchanges with rural leaders who were accused of illegally occupying parts of the brownfield area and having links to triads. No consultations were held with villagers living on the green-belt site who will have to be displaced.
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On Saturday, Leung’s office issued a statement saying that the chief executive had not personally lobbied rural leaders opposed to the project in exchange for support. This came after leaked documents suggested otherwise.
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The statement also rejected suggestions that Leung’s “soft lobbying” had prompted a village leader to give him high-profile support. The office did confirm that Leung chaired one meeting on Wang Chau in June 2013, after which the work was handled by relevant bureaus.
Lawmaker-elect Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, who received a death threat over his campaign against powerful village business interests, said: “Leung has yet to answer several key questions, such as why did he chair [the meeting in June 2013] and does it mean that he is responsible for the significant change to the project made afterwards.
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