Diocese apology stirs discontent in parish
Doesn't the Bible say it is more difficult for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle? But of course, nobody should forget even Jesus took tax collector Matthew as his apostle. That may explain the apologetic position taken by the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese's leadership towards property tycoon Li Ka-shing over a priest's likening him to the devil at a Halloween function over the weekend. Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai was criticising property developers for their unfair construction and sales tactics. But Li is not without his church defenders. Since Law's diatribe, vicar-general Michael Yeung Ming-cheung heaped praise on Li for his vision and success, and said it was inappropriate for anyone to make a 'personal attack'. This, in turn, has led to widespread discontent, with some church activists threatening to petition top clerics over what they saw as the church kowtowing to the rich and mighty. They also questioned why the church allowed itself to be seen as being 'infiltrated', as the person who first complained to Yeung over Law's comments was none other than Cheung Kong Holding's Gerald Ma, who happens to be a voluntary member of the church's social service body Caritas, headed by Yeung himself.
Farming joke falls flat with lawmakers
Before he became chief executive, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen joked that he wanted to become a farmer when he retired. But a joke he shared with business leaders yesterday on plans to turn the soon-to-be-vacated west wing of the central government offices into commercial properties has caused outrage. 'Some politicians say we don't need it,' Tsang said. 'They want to turn it into turf and raise lamb and ram and cattle.' The Legco corridors were abuzz after his remarks and several lawmakers demanded a retraction. Tanya Chan, of the Civic Party, said his remarks would affect the outcome of an ongoing public consultation on the plan. 'He should apologise to the public and withdraw his cattle-raising dialogue,' she said.
Pan-democrats have appetite for fight
As pan-democrats gear up for a boycott of Cafe De Coral next Tuesday over its plan to cut employees' lunchtimes, many are wondering if pro-government lawmakers will join the campaign. But these well-off legislators do have something in common: they have no idea what the city's largest fast food chain has on the menu. 'I never have meals in Cafe De Coral,' said Economic Synergy lawmaker and factory-owner Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen. 'I eat lunch boxes purchased randomly when I am in the office.' We don't know if Michael Tien Puk-sun, owner of clothing chain G2000 and a Liberal Party member, ever visits a Cafe de Coral outlet, but he vowed to join the pan-democrats' campaign. Perhaps he'll challenge his taste buds too.
