As a member of the Basic Law Committee, I can only stay silent on the judicial reviews sought by Filipino domestic helpers on the right of abode issue and on whether another interpretation of Hong Kong's mini-constitution may be necessary.
But I am free to comment on another side of the issue: that is, why are we discriminating against our own people?
A few years ago, I debated with 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung on a radio talk show about why he was not given a permit to go to the mainland.
He said it was against his human rights as a Chinese national. I then asked him whether it was also against the human rights of 1.3billion Chinese nationals to not be allowed to freely travel and live in the special administrative region. His only answer was to shout over the top of my voice through the microphone.
The issue of allowing mainlanders to work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers has cropped up regularly since the handover. Every time, it has been shouted down for no other reason than the fear that they might swarm the city.
At the same time, the number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong is rising steadily.