More than 150 domestic workers marched to the New People’s Party office in Wan Chai yesterday, calling on one of its lawmakers to apologize for remarks she made last week that their use of Hong Kong public places on their one day off was a “nuisance.”
The march, organized by Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body (AMCB), comes amid a backlash in response to comments made by pro-Beijing lawmaker Eunice Yung.
On Wednesday, Yung called on the government to provide more places for the city’s foreign domestic workers, adding that the large gatherings of domestic workers affected people’s daily lives and businesses, and contributed to a “unhygienic environment.”
Condemnation was predictably swift, with rights groups, AMCB among them, calling the comments “discriminatory, racist, and offensive.”
Protestors yesterday handed Yung a petition letter — yes, she actually came out and physically accepted it, so points for that — in which they called on her to make “an unconditional and public apology to all the migrant domestic workers who felt offended by your statement.”
In the letter, AMCB said that the city’s more than 380,000 domestic workers “provide immeasurable convenience, care, and peace of mind to more than 260,000 Hong Kong households while at the same time contributing more than a billion dollars’ worth of purchased goods and services to the Hong Kong economy.”
The group said they also indirectly contribute billions of dollars yearly to the city’s economy by “freeing hundreds of thousands of mothers and fathers from household chores so they can join the local workforce and double their household income.”
Speaking to reporters, Yung said: “We hope the government will provide more suitable spaces for domestic workers to stay and gather to rest. I hope my question on this can make the government more aware of this issue, address the issue, and give us new insights.”
If you’re noting the lack of an apology, there apparently was one — kinda. Unfortunately, it appears to have been of the distinctly “non-apology apology” variety.
Per Apple Daily, when asked directly by reporters if she would apologize for her remarks, she refused to answer the question. However, march organizers told the Chinese-language outlet that Yung had told them she was sorry if they “felt offended” by her comments. Uggghhhh.
Pro apology tip: Never say you’re sorry for the fact that someone “feels offended.” That suggests maybe it’s open to debate and that you’ve actually done nothing wrong.
AMBC spokesman Eman Villanueva actually gave Yung a bit more credit for the effort than we’re inclined to, telling Coconuts HK: “We welcome her initiative to say sorry during our short dialogue with her. But because of our long negative experience from their party, we think that their sincerity can only be measured through their practice.”
Added Villanueva: “We challenge her to make true of her statement that she is concerned with migrant workers’ conditions — by supporting our demands to the Hong Kong government including the increase of our wage to HK$5,500 (US$701); addressing the problem of inhumane accommodation provided to migrant domestic workers; regulating working hours — to name a few. If she will support our demands, that’s the only time we will believe her sincerity.”
