Chinese Head Tax: NCCC
Director Openly Reprimands NCCC for Mishandling Head Tax Issue
The
following article appeared on November 19, in Ming Pao, under a
photograph
of Tsai Fung Chan Lee, Har Ying Lee, and Jie Jun Zhang Yan.
NCCC
Director Openly Reprimands NCCC for Mishandling Head Tax Issue
NCCC
director Tsai Fung Chan Lee went public in her opposition to NCCC, openly
criticizing NCCC's approach, and urged its executive chairman Ping Tan and
the federal government to reconsider their approach to the Head Tax issue.
Tsai
Fung Chan Lee is also the chairwoman of the Association for
Promoting
Chinese-Canadian Friendship (Zhong Jia
Lian Yi Hui). She stated yesterday
that for many years NCCC has done a good job promoting friendship between China
and Canada. However, it has handled the
Head Tax issue in inappropriate
ways.
She
states that it was the Head Tax payers who actually paid, if the
government
is to redress the Head Tax issue in anyway, the money should go to the payers
and their families. It should be up to the payers and their families to decide
whether to donate the money to the community or to keep the money. It should
be their choice.
Mrs.
Lee said, her own father-in-law and elder brother-in-law had been
Head
Tax payers. When her father-in-law could not afford to pay any more Head Tax,
his wife was forced to stay in China to look after two sons, and for forty years
led a widow's existence with a living husband. It was clearly a tragic story
of tears and hurt.
Mrs.
Lee clearly states that she is going public and speaking up in the hope
that Ping Tan, NCCC, and the federal government would do some clear thinking,
and reconsider the way the Head Tax issue is being handled.
Also,
Jie Jun Zhang Yan, founder of the Association of Guangzhou High School
Alumni In Canada, states that she is puzzled by the federal government's
attitude towards Canadians of Chinese descent. She cannot understand why
compensation cannot go to the victims - the Head Tax payers. She appeals
for the government to appoint a government spokesperson to explain the government
stand.