More veteran housing activists may have door slammed in faces

Housing Authority members Lee Wing-tat, Victor So Hing-woh, Hau Shui-pui and Leung Chun-ying are likely to find themselves replaced when they complete their terms of service next year.

Housing Bureau sources admitted the Government intended changes for the Housing Authority, saying the present 32 full members were too many to pass policies in a flexible way.

The explanation came after Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood party whip Frederick Fung Kin-kee was dropped from the authority this week. He had served for eight years, fighting for grassroots housing issues.

Fellow activist and Society for Community Organisations director Ho Hei-wah was invited by Housing Department director Tony Miller to join the body, but was omitted from the list of government appointees.

'It's nothing personal, nor a political consideration. But the authority, with over 30 full members, is too big a structure,' said the source.

'If we continue to bring in new people without pulling out some, the structure will be enormous and [it will be] difficult to handle complicated housing policies.' The source said the Government would not show favouritism to veteran members such as Hau Shui-pui and Victor So Hing-woh, who have served more than eight years.