Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party DAB floats suggestions ahead of budget to help protest-ridden city ‘get back on track’
- DAB’s suggestions include increasing resources to set up 24-hour special courts, strengthen police equipment, and clean up Lennon Walls across city
- Party chairwoman Starry Lee calls on the government to seize the chance to tackle deep-seated social problems
Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party has said the financial secretary should increase funding in the coming annual budget to ensure the city gets back on track soon.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong on Monday floated dozens of suggestions at a meeting with Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po on the budget to be announced in February. The recommendations include increasing resources to set up 24-hour special courts, strengthen police equipment, and clean up “Lennon Walls” bearing pro-democracy messages that have sprung up across the city over the past seven months of anti-government protests.
The protests, sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, have rocked Hong Kong since June last year. More than 6,000 protesters have been arrested so far.
“By setting up special courts, the judiciary can deal faster with the mounting number of protest-related cases,” DAB vice-chairman Holden Chow Ho-ding said. “We believe that could also deter those joining the protests.”
The party also urged the government to budget more resources for police and establish a fund to help enterprises – especially those that had been vandalised during the protests – to recover from losses.
