Controversial vote upheld on extra funding for Hong Kong rail link
Finance Committee chief Chan Kin-por dismisses objections by pan-democrat lawmakers and rules that his deputy did nothing wrong in the stormy meeting
Legco’s Finance Committee chief has upheld the controversial passage of HK$19.6 billion in extra funding for the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou after a request to review the chaotic voting.
After looking at footage of the Legislative Council meeting on March 11, Chan Kin-por concluded on Thursday that his deputy Chan Kam-lam, who presided over the meeting, did nothing wrong in ruling that the majority of lawmakers voted in favour of the funding request.
The contentious funding, strongly opposed by the pan-democrats, was passed amid chaos and bickering within the Legco chamber.
Chan was accused of letting his feelings take over at the time he declared the funding had passed, but Chan Kin-por defended his deputy, saying: “It was not ideal, but it was chaotic at that time, and Chan knew what he was doing ... The most important thing is that lawmakers can ask for a vote on [an electronic system] and no one did that.”
READ MORE: Uproar at Legco after snap vote leads to passage of HK$19.6 billion for Hong Kong high-speed rail link
Labour Party vice-chairman Lee Cheuk-yan, who wanted to overturn the voting result, told the Post that Chan Kin-por was acting unjustly.
“He was a corrupt referee sheltering another referee just like him,” Lee said. “Even pro-establishment lawmaker Priscilla Leung conceded that it was too chaotic at the time of the vote that she could not hear what Chan Kam-lam was saying. How can the vote be valid?”
Chan Kam-lam was also accused of skipping the procedure that allows a member of the committee to raise a motion about the funding without prior notice. It normally comes after lawmakers finish raising their questions, but before voting.
READ MORE: Hong Kong’s pan-democrats rethink tactics on blocking funding request for high-speed rail link
The extra funding was for the express railway connecting Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which had already secured HK$65 billion in January 2010. The project has also been the centre of controversy over talks to set up a mainland immigration checkpoint in the city.
On March 17, Lee’s party colleague Cheng Sze-lut applied for legal aid so that he could lodge a judicial review to challenge the funding.
Lee said the party’s legal team and Civic Party lawmaker Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu were drafting the papers for legal aid, hoping that the application would go through.
Lee added that the pan-democratic camp’s third and final resort would be votes of no-confidence in Chan Kin-por and Chan Kam-lam.
Chan Kin-por said that as the Finance Committee would engage in a marathon five-day debate on the government’s budget from April 1 to 8, he could only deal with the two motions on April 15.
The committee will also hold two eight-hour meetings, on April 22 and 29 respectively, to handle a backlog of about 50 funding requests. They include proposals to build footbridges and elevators, as well as hospital redevelopment or extension works.
