Chan, Bernard Charnwut 陳智思

A systemically unstable equilibrium of civil liberties without democracy may have irrevocably tipped towards an authoritarian outcome. We suggest a way to salvage the situation, but we consider the most likely outcome is now a crackdown. We look at what form that might take, the possible aftermath and the looming 2047 expiry of Basic Law promises.

"The Bill itself is nothing wrong".

He writes: "The government could decide how big flats should be, how many should be public housing, or how much the private ones should cost." That's central planning at its worst. Why not just supply land, provide means-tested public rental vouchers to those in need, and let the free market work for everyone else? See our article "HK Government invasion of the housing market", 2-Jul-2018.

We urge the board of WKCDA, which was bypassed for months in the planning of the Palace Museum, to put the main architectural services contract out to tender, given that there is still no binding contract with Rocco Yim's company. Let him compete for the work, in line with HK's commitments to free and fair trade under WTO obligations. We estimate the contract size at HK$140m.

We note that the list includes Bernard Charnwut Chan, also known as Bernard Chan Chi Sze, President of Asia Financial (0662) who became a member of the HKSAR Executive Council on 12-Oct-2004, which does not permit overseas right of abode. Records show that he became a US citizen on 26-Jul-1989, less than 2 months after the Tiananmen Square massacre.