Civic Party's Kenneth Chan told Legco records are off limits
Legislature's boast of openness rings hollow with Kenneth Chan, who was refused papers from 1981 and had other information withheld
While Legislative Council staff pride themselves on the legislature's access-to-information policy, a lawmaker who has tested the system is frustrated with the denial of his request for certain documents.
Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok of the Civic Party asked for the records, on deliberations before the handover about right-of-abode for Hongkongers in Britain, for his research into the issue last year.
Chan, who teaches government and international studies at Baptist University, says he is also unhappy with the removal of key information from another file on handover issues that was released to him.
The classified records he requested are titled "Joint Working Group on British Nationality", dated February to July 1981.
An access-to-information officer informed Chan that the documents were exempt from the Legco access-to-information policy for two reasons: their disclosure was prohibited by law; and the documents were held for or provided by a party under an "explicit" understanding that the records would not be disclosed without that party's consent.
"I was struck dumb," Chan said. "It looks like restrictive treatment and pays little regard to my right to information. It is not clear how the exempted categories are being interpreted. I would have expected some explanation in detail."