3)  What are your plans for developing Lamma?

Lamma has great potential. It can become increasingly recognized as a place rich in diversity, in enterprise and history, a place with a human scale and touch, a unique seaside village which people are proud to call home. We see Lamma a thriving village community with lots of creative people, delicious food, scenic views & cultural richness. It is the best to enhance these qualities of Lamma to make it a preferred place to live and a favoured destination for leisure and rural tourism. 

It is most important that we'd be sensitive and refrain from over-engineered projects so as to maintain a quality living environment. A good example is the proposed Phase II reclamation which was planned for an estimated future population of 16,000 people. But in reality, the population has been only about 5,500 and is even in slight decline. Houses are now built very closely together, and in a pace so fast that we couldn’t even catch up to make proper maps and an effective drainage system. Haphazard construction work should therefore not be permitted.

We must focus our efforts and our valuable public resources on addressing real needs, such as:

-     Upgrading essential emergency services and healthcare.

-     Clearing rubbish sites in the villages and at potential sites of focus, such as large banyan trees along the main streets; Preventing further illegal dumping of unwanted objects and construction waste.

-     Re-planning the uses of much of the land on the Phase I reclamation, which has been sitting there vacant for years.

-     Provision of a community centre: I have received lots of comments, during the last two months while I went around Lamma meeting residents, about the need for a good indoor public space where people can gather for different events

-     Better elderly care, as many old people live by themselves on Lamma Island

Little changes can make lives a lot better:
Lockers for YSW Hung Shing Yeh Beach users; appropriate signage to help guide visitors; bike parking friendly railing… this can be a long list.

4)  Do you support providing an English-language primary school curriculum on Lamma? If yes, what will you do to advance this?

On November 8, 2002, I had a meeting with Ms Jennie Yuen, Northern Lamma Primary School Principal to discuss the issue of language education at her school. Subsequently, I wrote Ms Yuen a letter; stating Citizens Party's support for a multicultural curriculum in language education. We saw that with a good integration of local and expatriate students, it should be an excellent opportunity to foster quality bi-lingual speaking environment in school. Children can most readily learn two languages at the early age. I offered to help make this happen because a successful bilingual curriculum could well become a role model for other primary schools in Hong Kong. 

Unfortunately, I was not given more opportunity to get more involved beyond just a meeting. It is unfortunate that recently more and more parents send their children to attend primary schools outside Lamma. I believe that it needs a higher passion from both school faculty and parents to foster such a bilingual school environment in Lamma.  I will continue to engage with parents and educators on this.

5)  What are your views on the planned Lamma ring road (Yung Shue Long Valley-fire station-Tai Wan)?

I don't see any logic for building such a ring-road. The Citizens Party opposed to the plan right from the start. You can view our response submitted on June 16, 2003 to Dr Sarah Liao, Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works on the CP website: http://www.citizensparty.org/community/YSW_ring_road.htm

The main justification for this project is “emergency vehicular access”, however from the plan provided, this proposed road does not seem to connect to neither the police station nor the fire station. Putting it simply, we don't see any connection of this proposed ring-road with any needs regarding emergency vehicular access. My stand that is that these infrastructure projects need a higher degree of transparency and public involvement. To cite one excerpt from my letter to Dr Liao: " we also need to point out that the need for emergency vehicular access has frequently been used as a justification for various construction projects in the Yung Shue Wan Community and other outlying islands, such as Peng Chau. While everybody should be concerned about saving lives, decisions on massive construction projects should be based on hard analysis of needs and an overall development and conservation strategy consistent with sustainable development. Sizable but non-integrated projects do not necessarily fulfill the intended purposes but often end up causing unnecessary spending of public money and damages to the environment and existing aesthetics."

6)  You identify that infrastructure improvements are needed. Please can you advise what you consider the priority projects are?

Better drainage systems and less haphazard construction to clear dead water that form mosquito sites; more public toilets in YSW for the convenience of local residents as well as tourists; provision of a community centre that serves the real needs of community residents. Please note that none of these requires further reclamation of the Yung Shue Wan Harbour.

Regarding YSW waterfront and potential focus points, I support Save Lamma Campaign's proposal to build a light-weight walkway across YSW harbour, which would provide people with enjoyable access to the waterfront and free-sitting space and not damage the semi-natural harbour or affect outdoor dining.

It is a constant debate how to improve the current narrow paths that are shared by pedestrians and vehicles. The experience of narrow lanes and small shops is part of what makes Lamma so unique. However I agree that during the weekends, these paths become congested with people, inconvenient and potential dangerous to people, bikers and drivers. Therefore these paths need careful and detailed improvement, decisions contingent upon environmental integration and comfort.

7)  Your opinion about using the newly painted white “poster wall” at the ferry pier as a local community message board?

The wall plays a critical community role by allowing people to buy and sell second hand goods and to let people know about community events. Other topical uses are also welcome, as freedom of expression should be respected. But of course, I urge people to observe good etiquette as well. 

8)  How to deal with controlling dogs fouling the paths on Lamma; and how to find the dog/cat poisoner.

I doubt if anyone has the perfect quick-fixes to these problems. I fully support the work of Lamma Animal Protection (LAP), and I would hope to discuss with them and other dog owners for solutions. I hope to hold public meetings to gather ideas and volunteers to help find root causes and solve, or at least improve the conditions.  In the meantime, I'll help promote dog owners' responsibilities and campaign against animal poisoning. Besides, deliberate dog poisoning should be illegal and I'll push for law enforcement. 

9)  Do you or any member of your family have an interest in any company that receives government contracts on Lamma?

Absolutely NOT. I only have one job. I work for a company that sources Mainland Chinese products for international retailers.  It has no business interest in Lamma whatsoever.

10) How about introducing a regular time and place so your constituents can contact you?

I already have an office in Central where I meet visitors by appointment. Once I set up my office in Yung Shue Wan, I'll have regular office hours. Besides, I'm always just a phone call & email away. Even if I am not available at the time of call, I usually promptly return phone calls and answer emails on the same day. 

11) How to submit suggestions & ideas to you? By fax, email, phone or in person?

Call me directly at 9336-6908. If I am in a meeting or otherwise not available, just leave me a voice message. I'll call back very soon. Or email me at achan@citizensparty.org.

12) Do you have any election message or statement for our readers?

Yes, I do: Dear Lamma & Po Toi residents. This is Alex Chan, candidate for the 2003 District Council Election. I genuinely believe active engagement of residents and stakeholders in the public decision-making process will produce the most credible solutions to community issues. With objective viewpoint, proactive & creative approach, genuine concern & fresh energy, I will strive to raise the openness of Islands District Council to a new level and bring real improvements to Lamma and Po Toi Islands. EACH VOTE COUNTS。PLEASE VOTE for Alex Chan, # 1 on the ballot list.

Additional critical questions for Alex Chan only:

1)  You don't live on Lamma. And do you think this will be a hindrance to getting things done here?

I believe that where I live is a non-issue in the DC election campaign. In other parts of Hong Kong, it is common that a candidate lives in one district and seeks election in another. Outlying Islands should be of no difference. Hong Kong is a tiny place afterall. The important and relevant considerations are whether I have the ability to serve the community and push for their good cause; whether I can handle issues objectively, impartially and offer credible solutions; whether I have the leadership skills to resolve complicated issues so that the community can stay cohesive and move forward in the common accepted direction and whether I am a person of trust and integrity. 

2)  Your political experience in rural politics and getting things changed out here?

I am a result-oriented person. Very against “little work, big propaganda” line of act.

My involvement in the Save Lamma Campaign had led me to work through various complicated government processes. When we first started, it was almost an impossible task as the Planning Department told us that all consultations were completed. With our passion, strategy, skills & actions, we have successfully turned things around- we pushed for communication, public consultation non-stop, consulted private engineers and planners, generate overall concerns of harbour conservation via the media. We are further pushing for a better planning process to improve the Yung Shue Wan Harbour.

With regard to rural politics, I definitely respect the local village leaders and pay serious attention to their opinions. But the local political institutions should be more open up and transparent so that residents can better monitor the political leaders' performance, recognize achievements as well as enforce accountabilities.

3)  Why does the Chairman of a political party care to run in such a small constituency like Lamma?

Citizens Party is the Party in Hong Kong with a distinct concern for the environment. We are a small party and quite a number of our members are Lamma residents. The Citizens Party feels very much at home in Lamma and we'd like to make Lamma our home base. 

4)  Do you have larger political ambitions? Some may think DC is only stepping stone to a more significant political role in HK?

Oh yes, I do. I am never shy away about it. My ambition is to build a political party, popular and commonly accepted by the people of Hong Kong. I believe that political participation can empower people to advance their good causes. I really like to recruit more members who would stand in future elections in Lamma, other constituencies in the Outlying Islands District and elsewhere in Hong Kong. I myself want to run for LegCo someday, although it is way too early to speculate whether I would get to that stage.

5)  Your platform states that you will seek ‘Universal Suffrage’, assumingly you mean in HK. As DC how will balance dealing with district needs to your wider political agenda?

Universal suffrage is very much relevant to the District Councils. Of the 18 members in the Islands District Council, only 8 are returned by direct election. The majority of the seats are either appointed by the Government or automatically taken by the heads of the Rural Committee. That is the root cause why residents don't get to know and participate in public decisions that could seriously affect their communities. That is fundamentally why you have had no voice in all of these weird community projects which sprang up out of no where. Therefore, universal suffrage is of crucial important at the district council level! You can only see real improvements in public governance if and only if you can directly elect all District Council members who have no ties with the local undemocratic political institutions. I happen to be such a candidate.