The Legislative Council held a general meeting today (20th) to resume the second reading of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Bill 2021, which implements subdivided rent control. By the evening, the draft and several amendments were passed. However, The amendment proposed by Pakatan Harapan Member Shi Liqian was rejected.
Shi Liqian rarely criticized other Members who did not support the amendment, "forgetting that they are the representatives of the people, that they are all voters in the residential and cage homes, and that they are too patient to suffer."
By Pakatan Harapan Shi Liqian.
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The amendment proposes inapplicable situations including the repossession of buildings for redevelopment
The amendment proposed by Shi Liqian added two non-applicable conditions to the provisions that tenants are entitled to "sub-lease leases", including "relevant leases of sub-units in buildings on the proposed reconstruction site" and "already Obtain the relevant leasing of the sub-units in the building on the lot specified in the consent letter issued by the Building Authority for the demolition work plan" to speed up urban renewal.
Many MPs agreed to the starting point but technically reserved
The DAB Zheng Yongshun said in his speech that he supports the amendment proposed by the government, but said that after careful consideration of Shi Liqian’s amendment, he agreed that urban renewal can improve people’s lives, but he believed that the period from the repossession to the completion of the redevelopment is longer. It is necessary for sub-house tenants to provide longer term "sub-lease lease" rights, so they have reservations about Shi's amendment.
Xie Weiquan, who abstained from voting, agreed with Shi Liqian's starting point, but agreed with the government's claim that there were technical and drafting problems in the amendment. He also asked why the government had not perfected Shi Liqian's amendment and questioned that the government was just eager to pass the draft in this session.
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Shi Liqian said frankly that he knew that his amendment would not be passed, "I know that it will not be passed today (passed)", because many colleagues "are listening to the government" and denounced those who do not support the amendment have forgotten that they are representatives of the people. "They forget that they are the representatives of the people, that they are all voters, and that they are too patient to suffer."
In the end, Shi Liqian's amendment was rejected by a large number of votes.
In terms of direct regional elections, only 4 members voted for it, including the New Democrats' Ye Liu Shuyi, Rong Haien, non-party Xie Weijun, and He Junyao. 11 directly elected members voted against and abstained, including the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions. Voting against it, Pakatan Harapan Liang Meifen did not attend the vote.
In terms of functional constituencies, only four people agreed, including Shi Liqian and his party members Lu Weiguo, Zhang Huafeng, and Wu Yongjia. As for party members Lin Jianfeng and Liu Yeqiang, they were absent from voting.
Subdivided rent management ︱ The third reading of the Legislative Council passed the ceiling of 10% rent increase. Subdivided rent management will take effect 3 months after gazettement. It will take effect in January next year. There will be no initial rent increase of 10% per rent. Seven major loopholes for tenants: rent increases during the window period, forced relocation, and painful housing rent management | The law has not yet taken effect, the landlord has increased the rent by 20%.
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