Lawmaker clarifies ‘rotten construction industry’ remarks, says criticism targets bad business culture

Medical sector lawmaker David Lam Tzit-yuen on Friday sought to clarify his earlier remarks describing Hong Kong’s construction industry as “rotten,” saying his comments were intended to criticize unhealthy business practices rather than target individual professionals.

Speaking on a radio program Friday, Lam said his remarks were directed at what he described as entrenched problems in the industry’s operating culture.

The clarification followed his comments on the suspected falsification of vibration monitoring calibration records related to the expansion works at the Lai King Building of Princess Margaret Hospital, which prompted him to say the construction sector had become “rotten beyond repair,” with fabrication occurring “at every level” and pressure being exerted throughout the chain.

Lam said his concerns stemmed from a series of past incidents involving public works projects, which he said raised questions about whether document falsification and substandard practices were isolated cases or symptoms of deeper, long-standing problems.

He cited previous Hospital Authority construction projects in which metal conduits used to encase electrical wiring were found to fall below required standards. He also referred to the MTR’s Shatin to Central Link project, where steel reinforcement bars were found to have been cut short, as well as the Light Public Housing scheme, in which openings in steel plate connections were reportedly enlarged without authorization.

Lam said he had already heard of practices such as bid rigging during his student years, and questioned why such problems had not only persisted but appeared to have multiplied over time.

He asked whether all the incidents could truly be attributed to a small number of bad actors, and said he did not understand why industry practitioners would resort to falsification.

He added that authorities attributing each case to a one-off incident was unlikely to convince the public, and said the construction sector needed to provide a fair and credible explanation to address public concerns.