Frederick Ma Blames Heat, Missed Prayer For Remark

MTR chairman Frederick Ma on Monday said the hot weather and a missed morning prayer led him to remark that there is no need to give more information about the future express rail line to the public.

But he told a radio programme that he still stands by his comments.

When questioned by reporters on Saturday, Ma said it’s “pointless” to release more details as the media and the public are not rail experts. He added that his colleagues are professionals, and that the rail is okay as long as they say it’s okay. He urged reporters to trust the MTR management, or else they "wouldn’t have time to sleep".

Speaking on a radio programme on Monday morning, Ma refused to take back his Saturday remarks which had led to some media criticism. But he said he made those comments because "maybe the weather was too hot" and "maybe he didn’t pray on that morning". He didn't explain further.

Ma reiterated that there’s no need to provide detailed information about any express rail link problems as they can be too technical for the public.

He said he has to strike a balance between the public’s right to know, and the feelings of staff. He said he hopes the public will understand that MTR staff would suffer a lot of work and stress if every detail has to be reported.

The government hopes the rail line will start operating in September.