【明報專訊】C Y Leung

In an article published in October 2009 in Ming Pao, Leung Chun-ying, citing statistics, pointed out a typical "middle-class" family lived in a flat not bigger than 500 square feet, but at the same time country parks occupied 40% of Hong Kong's land. He asked readers to think "what we should make of such a situation".

However, after he had become CE, Leung once said country parks must be left alone.

Recently, responding to the discussion over Paul Chan's article, Leung said that he loves country parks, and that the government has not come to a decision on the issue yet.

Former government officials

Several former government officials have been vocal in their opposition to the idea. Pun Kwok-shing, who was Director of Planning (前規劃署長潘國城), says that the British colonial government was very circumspect (考慮周全的) when it laid down the boundaries of Hong Kong's country parks in the 1970s. As many country parks are located near catchment areas (集水區) of reservoirs, even small-scale construction may affect the groundwater.

On the other hand, Lam Chiu- ying, who was Director of the Hong Kong Observatory (前天文台長林超英), says that our country parks, which cover 40% of the territory, are what Hong Kong people should take pride in. In Hong Kong, it takes just half an hour's drive to go from a downtown area to a country park, which is hardly the case with other big cities.

Property developers

Lee Shau-kee (李兆基), a property tycoon, agrees with the idea of country park flats, saying that, by using just one percent of the country-park land, the government can make available housing for 100,000 people. The effect on the parks will be minimal if only land near urban areas is used, he says.

Environmentalists

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong (環保觸覺總幹事譚凱邦) is opposed to the idea. He thinks the crux of Hong Kong's housing problem is the Hong Kong government's lack of the power to prevent mainlanders from flocking into Hong Kong. Currently 150 mainlanders are allowed to come here a day on one-way permits (單程證).

Lawmakers

Many lawmakers think it is not wise to "develop" any country park before considering other options. Kwok Ka-ki, of Civic Party (公民黨議員郭家麒), argues that Paul Chan should first turn his attention to the Small House Policy (丁屋政策) and the land controlled by property developers. Wu Chi-wai, of Democratic Party (民主黨議員胡志偉), says that the government should make use of the several thousands hectares of farmland in Hong Kong.

Public opinion

Hong Kong citizens are divided over the issue. Some think that solving the housing problem should come before recreation, while others hold that the country parks are an important means of escaping from the urban turmoil of everyday life.

On September 10 Ming Pao ran an editorial, saying that allocating a small portion of country-park land for development is an option worth considering. It argues that, instead of allowing environmentalists to monopolise the issue, the government should hold a plebiscite (公投) to decide whether a small portion of country-park land should be zoned for development.