Housing activists have accused the Government of putting pressure on the Housing Authority to push through fixed-interest mortgages.
They say there is a drive to ensure the 70 per cent home-ownership rate pledged by Tung Chee-hwa is not scuppered by volatile interest rates.
'The suggestion has yet to receive a positive response from banks and academics, but the Government has made a clear gesture to get it done. Isn't it too impudent?' said People's Council on Public Housing Policy chairman Leung Yuk-fung.
The move went against the housing body's role, which was to serve people unable to afford homes, Ms Leung said.
'Obviously the Government is intervening. And I worry it will shift the Housing Authority's attention to home owners,' she said.
Society for Community Organisations spokesman Ho Hei-wah said the push was driven by political considerations rather than practical needs.
