Kuk mortgage call for indigenous villagers hits a brick wall

A request by a top Heung Yee Kuk leader for the government to offer mortgages to indigenous New Territories villagers so they can build small houses has been turned down.

Secretary for Development Paul Chan Mo-po said the government has to be prudent when utilising funds from the public coffers, adding that many in the city – and not just rural villagers – are trying to become homeowners.

“I’m sorry, it’s not feasible,” he said of the suggestion during an appearance on a local radio programme on Saturday.

The idea was floated by kuk chairman Kenneth Lau Ip-keung on Tuesday during a meeting with Secretary for Home Affairs Secretary Lau Kong-wah.

The powerful kuk leader suggested the government offer low-interest loans to male indigenous villagers so they can purchase land in the New Territories and exercise their “ding” rights to build three-storey dwellings of their own.