Quoting portions of the policy address back at Tung on Thursday, Democratic Party chief Lee Wing-tat asked: ``I want to know whether you think that the award of the Cyberport project to the Li family four years ago without a tendering process was a `transfer of business benefits' or collusion between the government and business?''

The grilling came during the Legislative Council question-and-answer session with Tung following Wednesday's policy address.

``If this was not collusion, what was this phenomenon?'' Lee pressed.

In the address, Tung insisted the government was resolutely against collusion with the business sector and would seek to eliminate any ``transfer of business benefits.''

Tung had also called on the public to report any such corrupt conduct should they have sufficient evidence.

Independent lawmaker Albert Chan walked out after Tung refused to say whether he would include him and two of his colleagues, unionist Lee Cheuk-yan and ``Long Hair'' Leung Kwok-hung, in a panel to investigate collusion between the government and the business sector.

Tung insisted that there was no government-business collusion.

Accusations of collusion have increased recently in the controversy over the HK$40 billion West Kowloon cultural district development and the insistence by Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang that the mega project be awarded to a single developer for 30 years.

The Li family's Cheung Kong (Holdings) is one of the project's three short-listed bidders.

The West Kowloon project has raised fears of a repeat of the Cyberport controversy.

Originally billed as Hong Kong's answer to Silicon Valley, the government awarded its HK$16 billion development rights to PCCW, owned by Li's son, Richard, in 2000 without competitive bidding.

Tung said on Thursday that Cyberport, like other projects before or after the handover, was handled in accordance with long-established practices.

``I don't see any collusion between the government and the business sector, nor do I see any transfer of benefits,'' he said. ``If any of you has evidence, please report on this and I will be glad to follow it up.''

But Lee argued that the public had reached a ``consensus'' that the Cyberport project was sufficient evidence of alleged collusion between the government and big business.

Critics have long complained that Cyberport, far from being a real high-tech hub, is just another luxury property development with a fancy name

Unionist Lee Cheuk-yan said:

``You asked us to report on any collusion between the government and the business sector. I have another report to add.

``Your policies have favoured business conglomerates. Since you are a businessman, you are business-minded and your policies are not intended to help workers.

``You say you need evidence. The evidence is you never pay any attention to workers.

``You never care about their life or death,'' Lee said.

He said Tung's rejection of minimum wage legislation and his refusal to enact maximum working hours was more evidence he had only the interests of big business at heart.

Before his walkout, Chan asked Tung how he intended to convince the public he was serious about eradicating collusion without concrete measures.

Chan walked out after Tung refused to respond to his request for a commission. Outside, Chan called Tung's policy paper ``a piece of rubbish.''

``If Tung thinks that there is no collusion, why did he raise this matter in his policy address? If he doesn't have any plan to eliminate collusion, how can he convince us that his speech is not just empty talk?''

cannix.yau@globalchina.com