【明報專訊】Politicians
Several pro-democracy lawmakers, including Gary Fan, of the Neo Democrats (新民主同盟范國威, right) and Claudia Mo, of the Civic Party (公民黨毛孟靜), have suggested changing the OWPs scheme. Gary Fan says that, if Hong Kong continues to be denied the right to screen mainland applicants, its population will continue to grow in an uncontrollable manner.
Brave Chan, a DAB district councillor (民建聯區議員陳勇), thinks that Hong Kong people should be tolerant towards new immigrants. He says that, while Hong Kong should review its population policy, the OWPs scheme has done Hong Kong good by replenishing (補充) its labour force.
Groups representing Mainland-HK families
Jackie Hung of the Coalition for Mainland-Hong Kong Families Rights (關注中港家庭權利聯席發言人孔令瑜, right), a group promoting the reunion of mainland-Hong Kong families, lambastes Gary Fan and Claudia Mo for "inciting discrimination against new immigrants" and "having no regard for social justice". Jackie Hung says that to allow mainlanders to be reunited with their Hong Kong relatives is to uphold their basic human rights. She also says that now Hong Kong people have to wait for at least four years before they can be reunited with their mainland spouses. Cutting the 150-a-day quota would only prolong their wait, she says.
The government
The government is against changing the 150-a-day quota. Secretary for security Lai Tung-kwok (保安局長黎棟國, above) says that the arrangements for approving applications for OWPs have a sound constitutional basis, adding that the scheme is "not one for bringing in talent".
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