Paul Chan's Crocodile Tears

Does Chan seriously think we believe he's losing sleep over young people?

Our Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po is so concerned about young people in Hong Kong that he's losing sleep over it.

In a Christmas Eve post on his blog, Chan said ever-increasing rents and property prices had imposed a heavy burden on Hongkongers and stunted the development of start-ups and entire industries. "It gives me sleepless nights and a low appetite," he said.

Recounting previous conversations with grassroots families and other locals, Chan said many residents, especially the young were under immense pressure due to stagnating salaries and long working hours despite Hong Kong having robust economic growth at 3.7 percent this year.

The youth feel left out in the city's economic development

Chan also noted there was a shortage of land for housing, offices, creative spaces and nursing homes.

"The government is making an effort to find land and explore solutions from every possible angle," he wrote.

But some of the suggestions have been controversial, such as developing some parts of the country parks which is currently illegal, and also making a 1,000-hectare artificial island east of Lantau.

Stop with the crocodile tears, Mr Chan.

If you were a rookie in Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's administration, then maybe we would have a bit of sympathy for you, but you were previously Secretary for Development in Leung Chun-ying's cabinet AND you were discovered for owning several properties that had sub-divided flats and had land in your name in the New Territories where the government was planning to develop near there.

Housing is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed

And how can it only be now that he realizes how challenging it is for young people to establish their careers in Hong Kong if they don't have good connections or a lot of capital to start with?

If he isn't sleeping well then he should come up with some decent solutions to help young people get jobs that will move them up the economic ladder instead of being stuck in service positions, and find more land -- brown sites is something we have repeated constantly in this blog -- or the government should develop low-cost housing of its own so that there will be options other than luxury flats or micro flats less than 300 square feet.

This is the best financial secretary Lam could come up with?