Lawmakers on Saturday voiced hope that a newly established joint task force can change the culture of the building maintenance and renovation industry by actively weeding out bad apples. They were speaking following an announcement on Friday that 28 people had been arrested in an operation against a suspected triad-linked bid-rigging syndicate in the sector. It was the first operation by a joint task force – made up of police, the ICAC and the Competition Commission – that was set up following the release of the report by an independent committee probing last November's deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Speaking on a radio programme, DAB lawmaker Chan Hok-fung said the new joint task force should not be targeting bid-rigging on a case-by-case basis. “I think it’s only at the source that the problem can truly be solved,” he said. “If the government doesn’t get involved, doesn’t intervene heavily and doesn’t reverse this distorted way the market operates, the problem can’t be solved." Lam Chun-sing, who chairs the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, called for firms convicted of bribery or competition offences to be struck off contractors' lists. “What some contractors fear most isn’t a fine – it’s not being allowed to take on work in the future,” he said. Edited by Azam Khan