Stumbling towards the finishing line
The news yesterday afternoon that there would be no all-night legislative session was welcome, given that lawmakers and officials had already started fumbling out of exhaustion.
At one point, Legco president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai mistakenly took a vote on an amendment proposed by Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee after the government amendment on the clause had already been passed.
Ms Ng herself misread and criticised an amendment proposed by the government.
And errors in a document known as the script, meant to help guide legislators through the many amendments in the bill, eventually brought proceedings to an unexpectedly early finish, at 11.10pm. Mrs Fan had announced the session would end at midnight, but she called a halt when legislators found themselves debating amendments which the government had already passed.
Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong also had to concede it had been a long few days when he addressed Democrat Albert Ho Chun-yan on an amendment actually proposed by his colleague Fred Li Wah-ming.
Correcting himself after prompting by his aides, he then went on to address Mr Li as 'Li Ming-wah'.
Meanwhile, minders keeping tabs on the whereabouts of government allies to make sure they were present to vote got an earful from James Tien Pei-chun, leader of the Liberal Party. Quizzed on where he was going whenever he stepped out, he said: 'It's none of your business. Even my wife wouldn't dare ask me where I am going and when I will be back.'
