Choosing between people and Hong Kong’s banyan trees is like deciding whether to save ‘mother or girlfriend first’, says Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan
Comments come after Chief Executive Carrie Lam says public safety will always come first as row over decision to cut down two 80-year-old trees rumbles on
Public safety will always take precedence over that of Hong Kong’s banyan trees, the city’s leader said on Wednesday as the outcry over the felling of two 80-year-old specimens showed little sign of slowing down.
However, after a tense exchange with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor at a Legislative Council meeting, Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said the choice was more like deciding whether to save “your mother or your girlfriend”.
Chan urged Lam to consider a tree management law, while the chief executive pointed to London, New York and Melbourne as examples of cities which manage trees properly without the need for legislation.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Lam said that while harmony between nature and people was preferable, people’s safety was paramount.