Update | Lau Wong-fat may get votes to squash Sai Kung country park plan
Kuk leader's bid to have Sai Kung enclave excluded from country park is likely to pass unless pan-democrats put up united front
Rural strongman Lau Wong-fat's motion to revoke a government plan to incorporate a scenic Sai Kung enclave into a surrounding country park could be passed next month unless all pan-democrats show up and vote against it.
At a meeting of the Legislative Council subcommittee on country parks yesterday, the Heung Yee Kuk lawmaker received support from pro-establishment parties for his motion to reject a government plan to incorporate Tai Long Sai Wan into the Sai Kung East Country Park.
In an ironic twist, pan-democrats are in support of the government's plan, while the bulk of the pro-establishment parties, including the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, have voiced their support for Lau.
Under the split-voting system, the motion is likely to pass in the functional constituencies, where government allies predominate, meaning a united front would be needed by the pan-democrats in the geographical constituencies - where they hold 18 of the 35 seats - to defeat it. The motion is scheduled to be tabled on December 4.
A non-binding motion calling for the coastal enclave to be excluded from the park was passed by the subcommittee 7- 4 last week but lapsed due to procedural errors.
Lau insists the incorporation of Sai Wan into country park land would take away indigenous villagers' rights, which includes a right to build small houses on ancestral land.
"Protection of private property rights is one of the basic cornerstones of a capitalist society," he said.