‘Umbrella soldier’ Chui Chi-kin complains he has to rent a unit in a shopping mall after defeated rival renews lease
TONY.CHEUNG@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Friday, 08 January, 2016, 6:42pm
UPDATED : Friday, 08 January, 2016, 6:42pm
Chui Chi-kin unseated Christopher Chung Shu-kun of the Beijing-loyalist Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong in November’s district council elections. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The Housing Department has been accused of breaking its own rules by allowing two pro-government lawmakers to keep their offices despite losing in the district council elections last year.
Eastern District councillor Chui Chi-kin, an “umbrella soldier”, shot to fame in the poll on November 22 by unseating Christopher Chung Shu-kun of the Beijing-loyalist Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.
In Sha Tin, Chung’s party colleague, Elizabeth Quat, was unseated by Labour Party candidate Yip Wing.
But renting an office to start his councillor work had proved a difficult task for Chui, as the housing department told him it had renewed Chung’s lease last month to allow him to continue renting the place as a lawmaker.
As there is no other place available in the constituency, Chui is renting a 100 sq ft unit in a nearby shopping mall as his office for HK$4,000 a month.
In Sha Tin, Yip was also told that Quat had extended her lease to the end of this month, and has asked the housing department to further extend it until her Legislative Council term expires in the summer.
Yip warned that he would lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman if the department granted Quat’s wishes.
“According to the rules, the department would give priority to district councillors ... but now it is showing it’s favouring the DAB,” Yip said.
A housing department spokesman said that when district councillors lost their seat, they could ask for permission to keep their offices if they were serving as lawmakers.
“This will allow them to serve residents continuously, as well as to save costs for renovating or refurbishing offices. This fits the principle that resources should be well used,” he said.
Before the election, Quat’s district council colleague Gary Yeung Man-yui used to rent an office in Quat’s constituency. After Yeung was unseated by independent James Chan Kwok-keung, the department asked Yip to consider renting the office vacated by Yeung. But Yip has yet to decide whether to take the offer.
A district councillor is paid HK$30,390 a month and can claim up to HK$39,041 every month in operating expenses.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1899152/housing-department-accused-breaching-rules-allowing-unseated
