Uncharitable sentiments

"Our stance is clear, we will not give the money to you and we will make the vote fail today," said Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) member Wong Yuk-man during a debate on whether to provide aid to people in the earthquake-stricken area of Ya'an, Sichuan Province.

The 7.0-magnitude quake claimed more than 190 lives, prompting Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung to propose donating HK$100 million ($12.89 million) in public funds to the Sichuan Provincial government.

Although the proposal was opposed by more than 90 percent of locals, according to an online poll by Hong Kong-based newspaper the South China Morning Post, it was passed on Friday with 37 out of 60 votes.

According to a video published online of Wong's LegCo speech, he angrily accused the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) of corruption, stating that he feared the money would end up lining the pockets of local officials.

Wong's speech prompted a strong reaction among Web users on the Chinese mainland. While some Web users were offended, many, already outraged at the government charity over a series of long-standing scandals, agreed with him and praised him for speaking the truth.

Wong, a key member of Hong Kong's pro-democracy party People Power, gave the speech at the first meeting of the financial committee of the LegCo on April 24.

Public opinion unleashed

The video of Wong's speech opposing the donations has been forwarded more than 80,000 times by Web users on Weibo, and the clip on youku.com has seen over two million clicks. Nearly 90 percent of viewers clicked the "thumbs up" button under the video.

"What we need is someone like Wong who could help us deliver the public's opinion to policy makers," Kong Zhiyong, a Guangdong entrepreneur and avid fan of Wong, told the Global Times.

In the first meeting of the LegCo financial committee on April 24, the donation proposal wasn't voted on because lawmakers were divided on the issue.

Another Hong Kong lawmaker, Wong Kwok-hing, said he supported the Hong Kong government's actions to donate money to Sichuan. He said that "blood is thicker than water," and that Hong Kong residents should consider their compatriots on the Chinese mainland and give emergency help.

Mo Man-ching, another lawmaker, who spoke out against the donations, said she was surprised and also touched that many Chinese mainland residents have the same feelings as her, since she assumed that Chinese mainland people would blame her for not being "patriotic" or not showing compassion to earthquake victims.

She told the Global Times that no matter whether it's the mainland or Hong Kong, people want to make their voices heard.

When it comes to donations, not everyone can choose the organizations they donate to. A Beijing journalist surnamed Li, 25, told the Global Times that the media agency he works for encourages all staff, particularly members of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to donate to the RCSC.