Ma wrote weekly and daily columns that appeared in Hong Kong Economic Times, Ming Pao and The Sun.

Ma's death precipitated the 2007 Hong Kong Island by-election, which was won by Anson Chan on 2 December 2007.

Ma caused huge furore which hit radio broadcasts, the front pages and editorials of several of the local newspapers, which cited him denying that clampdown of the protesters was a "massacre".

[12]Ma questioned whether "Gweilos" (a racial epithet for Caucasians) should be the ones to interpret the truth about Tiananmen,[12] and asserted that Hong Kong was "not mature enough", for believing a massacre took place.

Szeto Wah called Ma "shameless", questioning if killings had to be on the scale of the Nanking Massacre to qualify.

[7] Outraged by Ma's comments, 127 "Tiananmen Mothers", led by Ding Zilin, demanded a retraction and a public apology for the humiliation he has heaped on those who died.

One DAB Vice Chairman Tam Yiu Chung defended Ma, but questioned the timing: "people will understand it gradually".

[11] Chan Wing-kee (陳永棋), the head of ATV and CPPCC Standing Committee member declared Ma "a patriot" for his comments.

An estimated 55,000 people, more than a few of whom appear to have been spurred to attend by Ma's comments, packed Victoria Park,[18] up from 44,000 one year earlier.

Analysts began to comment that Ma's remarks might have been part of a concerted propaganda attempt by Beijing to dampen expectations for universal suffrage.

[citation needed] More recently, some local loyalists have issued statements pushing back the date for universal suffrage.

He blamed the lack of progress on the "intransigence" of democrats, who blocked reform proposals put forward in December 2005.

Ma Lik publicly attacked RTHK from changing the role from a "watchdog" to a "mouthpiece" of the Hong Kong government.