Acrimony in Hong Kong Legco chamber after more than 9,000 public works get past filibuster
Pan-democratic legislators decry government’s refusal to unbundle controversial projects from all-or-nothing package
In a hard-fought victory for the government over filibustering opposition lawmakers, the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee on Saturday approved a controversial HK$12.4 billion funding package for more than 9,000 public works projects.
After three months of delaying tactics by the pan-democrats that had blocked 9,400 public construction projects, 8,000 of which were ongoing, the final vote was 29 in favour and one against. The pan-democrats boycotted the vote.
Wang Chau and Lantau were among 26 projects, worth HK$180 million, bundled into a funding application with less controversial public works projects. The pan-democrats had insisted on dealing with them separately later.
After the pro-establishment majority rejected all motions to drag the meeting out, Finance Committee chairman Chan Kin-por ordered an immediate vote, and the motion passed quickly.
Chan halted proceedings at 1.30pm, shortly after the vote was passed, as Eddie Chu Hoi-dick, Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Claudia Mo Man-ching and Lau Siu-lai rushed to the chairman’s table, only to be restrained by Legco security guards.
Chu insisted the government could have addressed their grievances.
“The government has power to delete any items [from the bundled package]. Therefore the item on the Wang Chau project could still be taken out by the government and be submitted to the Finance Committee separately,” he said.
But chairman Chan, who has overruled filibustering attempts at previous meetings, said: “We hope to reduce clashes in the Legislative Council so that lawmakers can vote peacefully. I find it inappropriate to have these kinds of clashes whenever we have such important votes.”
The filibustering has dragged on since December last year in the public works subcommittee and in the Finance Committee since February 24. Lawmakers have spent 30 hours asking 400 questions over the 9,400 projects.
The Wang Chau saga has been a particular sticking point. The government has approved the construction of 4,000 public housing flats in the New Territories development, displacing three villages, and prompting allegations it caved in to rural leaders’ demands by deferring the building of 13,000 flats.
