Despair Not Due To Housing, Matthew Cheung Told

Several youngsters who called into radio phone-in programmes with Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung on Thursday told him that they are not feeling hopeless simply because they can't buy property, while others said they want an independent inquiry because they want police actions to be investigated.

It's usually the Chief Executive who attends the radio phone-in programmes the day after the policy address, to better explain the proposals. But this time, the task was given to Cheung who said that Chief Executive Carrie Lam was just too busy.

Cheung said that after more than four months of social unrest, Hong Kong is now "at a crossroad". He said it's time for a rethink to face deep seated problems like housing.

But a young caller told Cheung that young people don't feel hopeless because of the housing problem. The caller, who gave his name as Lam, said he was a law student and was very passionate about Hong Kong's rule of law.

"Today when I look at society I feel hopeless. Hopeless not because I can't buy a flat. It's not as simple as that, Mr Cheung. It's about whether those who enforce the law on the street know the law. They don't know the law. Do they have any understanding on human rights protection? They don't," he said.

Another caller, named Ma, told Cheung that calls for an independent inquiry are not just targeted at alleged police brutality.

"Do you know why we want an independent inquiry? Apart from investigating police violence, we need to know if any lawmakers planned the Yuen Long attack on members of the public on July 21. We also need to know if the 30,000 officers of the police force are Hongkongers. We need to know a lot lot more, apart from the use of excessive force by officers."

He went on to question why no official has stepped down after more than four months of unrest.

In response to the callers, Cheung said he doesn't believe solving the housing issue would mean fixing all problems.

He said he understands there's a whole basket of deep-seated problems that need to be addressed. But he stressed that justice and rule of law are core values in Hong Kong that need to be protected.

On calls for an independent inquiry, Cheung reiterated that the Independent Police Complaints Council has already started looking into incidents from June onwards.

Meanwhile, the city's number two official, who had previously been condemned by the Junior Police Officers’ Association for apologising for the way the force handled the July 21 Yuen Long attacks, was also asked if it was taboo to demand an apology from the police.

He sidestepped that question, saying only that society needs to move forward and stop dwelling on the July 21 incident.