Chief executive of trust’s managing organisation hits out at opportunist pan-democrats during TV appearance
PHILA.SIU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Saturday, 07 May, 2016, 6:09pm
George Hongchoy Kwok-lung said the occupancy rate at the trust’s malls had been going up over the years and was now over 95 per cent with renewal rate about 70 to 80 per cent. Photo: Edmond So
The recent spate of protests by politicians at Link Reit’s headquarters took place only because the election season is coming, said Link Management chief executive George Hongchoy Kwok-lung yesterday.
He made the remarks two days after scuffles broke out at the trust’s Kwun Tong headquarters, when more than 30 pan-democrat politicians and community activists clashed with security guards.
Hongchoy, chief executive of the organisation that manages Link Reit, appeared on a TVB talkshow on Saturday and said the series of protests was because the Legislative Council election is taking place later this year.
He stressed that the trust is always willing to meet with different political parties, adding they have met different parties about 90 times in the past year.
Link Reit has long been criticised by community activists and politicians of adopting a business practice that resulted in rent hikes since it took over government-owned malls and wet markets in 2005.
The accusations turned even more intense in recent months over the trust’s decision to let subcontractors operate its markets. Some tenants claimed it was a move to push the rent of market stalls to an “exorbitant” level and warned that daily groceries could cost more.
Link Reit later said it would slow down the outsourcing.
On Saturday, Hongchoy also said the occupancy rate at the trust’s malls had been going up over the years and was now over 95 per cent. Renewal rate was also 70 to 80 per cent.
He believed that the tenants are willing to stay because they are making money.
To show that he cares about the customers, he said: “It is a demand I have for myself every day – how to make the customers feel that the money they spend are worth it.”
On Thursday, about 30 protesters showed up at Link Reit’s Kwun Tong headquarters and demanded in vain to meet Hongchoy. Some even urged Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to intervene.
At present, besides the markets owned privately by Link Reit, there are 76 public markets managed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1942140/link-reit-protests-only-happened-because
