Coronavirus: Hong Kong lawmakers slam top ministers as ‘incompetent’ and slow to react to public health crisis
- Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan grilled by lawmakers in first meeting since January 16
- Kwok Ka-ki from Civic Party and Alice Mak from Federation of Trade Unions ask questions on supply of masks and availability of quarantine facilities
Hong Kong lawmakers from across the political divide slammed top ministers as “incompetent” and “slow to react to the novel coronavirus epidemic” at a special Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee, alongside 11 other top officials, faced three hours of grilling from lawmakers in the first meeting since January 16.
Some 62 patients in the city have been diagnosed with the virus, which causes the disease known as Covid-19, while two people have died.
The meeting was called after two lawmakers from opposing camps – pan-democrat Kwok Ka-ki from the Civic Party and Alice Mak Mei-kuen of the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions – submitted two urgent questions to Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen.
While Kwok and Mak’s questions concerned the public medical sector’s stock of protective gear for frontline health care staff and the availability of quarantine facilities, lawmakers took the chance to vent their frustrations with the government’s handling of the crisis.
Mak said officials had failed to instil confidence in the public.