Inside Out | John Lee must act on Hong Kong’s rampant illegal development
- The explosion of outrage over the widespread practice is a reminder of the extent of disdainful disregard for the law
- Such abuse undermines respect for the rule of law, attracts corruption and calls into question government integrity
The seller told me he had, five years previously, applied to the Lands Department for a five-year short-term tenancy (STT) to tidy his legal right to “use” the garden but had so far received no reply. He suggested I reapply for one.
When I raised this with neighbours, I stirred alarm. Most said I was stupid to apply. After all, while the previous owner had lived there, no one from the government had ever challenged his right to use the garden. Why volunteer to pay what would at that time have been about HK$15,000 (US$1,900) a year?
When I decided to do the right thing, a group of village clan members stormed the Sai Kung Lands office, urging them to refuse my application. They were concerned not just that officials would want to demand STTs for their own gardens; they regarded my garden area as village land and so I was not entitled to the “exclusive” access my STT would give me.
It took another three years before the Lands Department replied, ignoring the village clan protests and saying they would grant me an STT. Meanwhile, no one else in the village had applied for an STT for their own gardens and, to this day, no one from the government has come to pester them. Most neighbours still regard me as a mug for applying.