Page 52 - Preservation for the Documentation of Chinese Christianity
P. 52
Justice and Social Concern Com m ittee
The Com m ittee is chaired by Rev. Phyllis Wong. iii. Concern for Human Rights Activists
The Executive Staff is Mr. Wan Hoi-wing. Mr. Liu X ia o b o w as s e n te n c e d to 11 y e a rs '
im prisonm ent on Christm as Day 2009 on the charge
A. Policy advocacy and social of “inciting subversion of state power” based on a few
concern sentences he w rote in the C harter '08 docum ent. In
response, the Com m ittee and other Christian groups
i. Minimum Wage
issued a public letter.
The w ealth gap betw een the rich and the poor
On F e b ru a ry 9, 2010 the C hengdu M u n icip a l
in Hong Kong is the m ost serious among developed
Intermediate People’s Court in Sichuan Province sentenced
countries. Thus the HKSAR G overnm ent decided to
Mr. Tan Zuoren, a human rights activist, to 5 years'
implem ent a minimum wage. The Committee attended
imprisonment on the same charge based on a lengthy
the m eeting held by the Provisional M inim um Wage
memo from his diary on the June Fourth Event in 1989. The
Commission (PMWC) and expressed its opinion, and the
Committee also issued a statement.
Committee also submitted a proposal to PMWC in May.
In order to let more Christians to know about the iv. Express Rail Link
issue, the Committee co-organized a seminar with the In order to arouse more people to be concerned
Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs on about the proper use and developm ent of land, the
April 24, 2010. Com m ittee and other Christian organizations set up a
booth on January 8 and 15, 2010, to provide food and
ii. Constitutional Development
water for the people assembled outside the Legislative
The Government issued the "Consultation Document
Council to follow the progress of the discussion inside the
on the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for
Legislative Council on the issue of the Express Rail Link.
Forming the Legislative Council in 2012 on November
At last the LegCo passed the resolution to build the
18, 2009 to consult the public on the two electoral
Express Rail Link in spite of the voice of opposition in the
m ethods fo r 2012. The C om m ittee subm itted view s
society. It resulted in confrontation and conflict between
and comments about the Consultation Docurnent to the
the police and protesters. In response to this incident, the
Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau in February.
Committee and other Christian groups held 2 seminars
In order to encourage Christians and the public to
under the theme "The Violence and Compromise of the
participate in the discussion of constitutional development,
Establishment".
the Committee and other Christian groups organized a
short film competition. The Prize Presentation Ceremony, v. The Financial Budget
along with a sem inar on constitutional developm ent, The C om m ittee sent a proposal on the Financial
was held on January 17, 2010. In May, the Committee Budget for the year 2010-2011 in February 2010. It also
issued a statement to respond to the controversy caused co-organized a prayer m eeting w ith the Hong Kong
by the constitutional reform package proposed by the C atholic Com m ission for Labour A ffairs on February
Government and the Legislative Council by-election. 23, 2010, on the eve of the a n n ou n ce m e n t o f the
Later the Committee joined the "Joint Committee of financial budget. The prayer meeting was held outside
Christian Concern for Constitutional Development", which the Legislative Council Building to pray for those being
held a candlelight vigil in front of the Legislative Council affected by the financial budget.
Building on June 22, 2010, the day before the vote for the
vi. Long-term Social Welfare Planning
resolution in the Legislative Council. The vigil was held
The C om m ittee subm itted their com m ents to the
to commemorate how Hong Kong people have fought for
S ocial W e lfare A d visory C om m ittee co n ce rn in g its
democracy in the past.
Consultation Paper of Long-term Social Welfare Planning
in Hong Kong. The Committee also issued a statement in
the newspaper with other social welfare organizations on
July 23 to urge the government to pick up its responsibility
on long-term social welfare planning.
In order to help C hristians understand the issue,
the Committee and other Christian groups organized a
seminar on July 26, 2010.
vii. Gambling Watch
The Com m ittee is a m em ber of Gam bling Watch.
Gambling Watch sent letters to the Betting and Lotteries
Seminar on constitutional development Com m ission and Home Affairs Bureau respectively to
21