Doctors call for abolishment of functional constituencies

More than 600 doctors in Hong Kong issued a joint statement calling for true democracy and the abolishment of functional constituencies at the Legislative Council, while also condemning violence at the Occupy protests. 

Most of the doctors who signed up for the statement are relatively young, Ming Pao Daily News reported Wednesday. The doctors have been organizing a campaign via social media, collecting over 600 signatures from peers in the industry within two days.

Meanwhile, over 60 clergymen, including Rev. Yuen Tin-yau from the Methodist Church, Rev. Lo Lung-kwong, Rev. Fung Chi-wood, and Prof. Kwan Kai-man, also issued a joint statement Tuesday calling for all confrontations to end.

The religious figures said most police officers have been conducting themselves in a professional manner, despite the enormous pressure they have been under. However, a small group of officers who have dealt with protesters and members of the press violently should be condemned, they said.

The statement praised the students and public who adhered to non-violence in their protests, while slamming a minority group of people who provoked the police and other protesters.

It called for supporters of chief executive Leung Chun-ying not to fuel the tensions between the two sides and push the occupation campaign to the limits by encouraging the clearing of protest sites.

The Government Employees Association and Hong Kong Civil Servants General Union said in a statement on Monday that some politicians were taking advantage of public servants, especially the police force, as ammunition to attack the government.

In response, around ten civil servants posted a statement slamming the two unions being ignorant about the causes of the protests. The unions' statement serves no useful purpose but will only further tear up the society, they said, stressing that the unions' position does not reflect the views of all civil servants.

Some 1,650 representatives from the cultural, arts and publishing sector, including singers Denise Ho Wan-see, Deanie Ip and Anthony Wong, said in a newspaper statement Tuesday that they were disappointed with Legislative Councilor Ma Fung-kwok, who represents the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication functional constituency, over the latter’s response to police clearing operations on Lung Wo Road.

Ma does not represent the voice of the sector, the statement said, while calling on all members of the Hong Kong community to strive for genuine universal suffrage.

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