Lawmakers cast their votes at the legislative council chamber on Monday to elect the chairperson of the LegCo’s House Committee after seven months of failing to do so due to the opposition camp’s delaying tactics. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Breaking an impasse of seven months, Starry Lee Wai-king was re-elected chairperson of the Legislative Council’s House Committee on Monday with all 40 of the votes cast, and she immediately pledged to clear the backlog of committee work.
Lee promised to guide the House Committee in an orderly and fair manner in full compliance with the Rules of Procedure. She said that the panel will fulfill its constitutional duty under the Basic Law while moving the bills that have piled up since October.
The committee’s backlogged legislation will be processed in order of priority, along with the election of a committee vice-chairman
Starry Lee Wai-king, chairperson of House Committee
The 18th election meeting, held on Monday morning, was preceded by an hour of chaos in the Legislative Council, whose proceedings were suspended at one point.
Scuffles broke out when opposition legislators attempted to take over control of the election. Fourteen opposition lawmakers were expelled from the meeting room for charging the rostrum and violently clashing with security staff.
In a statement, LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, as chairman of the Legislative Council Commission, which supervises the operation of the Secretariat, said he deeply regretted that the chaotic situation in the morning resulted in the injury of some security personnel.
The Secretariat has reported the case to the police, Leung said.
Opposition lawmakers shouted slogans and stood on their desks while tearing up copies of the Rules of Procedure, as they challenged the legitimacy of legislator Chan Kin-por’s chairing the session.
Chan, who chairs LegCo’s Finance Committee, was picked by Leung to preside over the meeting in place of opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, who has been roundly criticized for failing to facilitate the election of a chairperson in the House Committee’s previous meetings.
Barrister Ronny Tong Ka-wah threw his support behind Leung’s decision, noting that under the Rules of Procedure and the Basic Law, the LegCo president has the power to make a final decision on the matter.
If opposition lawmakers have different opinions, they should raise a judicial review instead of resorting to force in the legislature, Tong said.
Any legislature is built on rules and laws, not violence, he stressed, adding that their attacks on others and disruption of the LegCo procedures could constitute criminal offenses under the Crimes Ordinance and the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance.
Talking to the media after the election, Lee, who is also chairperson of LegCo’s largest party — the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong — thanked the members who supported and trusted her through the chaotic process.
She said the committee’s backlogged legislation will be processed in order of priority, along with the election of a committee vice-chairman.
At least 14 bills and more than 20 pieces of subsidiary legislation have been on hold owing to the election deadlock, creating a semi-paralyzed legislature.
In a statement, the government welcomed the successful election of a House Committee chairperson, and said it expects LegCo to resume normal operations as soon as possible. The government also pledged its full support to the legislature in scrutinizing bills in the remaining two-month term.
The House Committee, consisting of all legislators but the president, scrutinizes bills submitted to LegCo for a second reading, and form bills committees to further study the legislation.
Speaking to reporters, lawmakers of the pro-establishment camp said they hope the House Committee can resume normal operations under Lee’s leadership, and be free from further chaos.
They strongly condemned opposition lawmakers for violently and recklessly disrupting the proceeding, calling them “the shame of Hong Kong”.
They urged the opposition camp to stop any disruption and violence, and to re-establish a civilized legislature in the public interest.
