Hong Kong’s Legislative Council could face legal challenges if it bypasses House Committee election process: former president Andrew Wong
- Wong warns that legislature could end up with two parallel committee meetings convened by rival camps
- Former House Committee chairwoman Miriam Lau says incumbent can convene meetings before a new chair chosen
Hong Kong’s legislature could face legal challenges if it allows the pro-establishment bloc to bypass the election process in a key committee and proceed with other business, according to a former president.
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Since October, the House Committee – which scrutinises bills and decides when they are put to a final vote – has failed to elect a chair. Opposition lawmaker Dennis Kwok, previously its deputy chairman, has presided over the meetings, as incumbent Lee seeks re-election.
Lee on Monday said the committee would hold an extra meeting four days later to clear a backlog of bills that had built up.
The new special meeting could … essentially put Legco’s internal business in courts
In an interview on Wednesday, Wong criticised Kwok for acting beyond his power to allow non-binding motions about Legco’s security arrangements. But he proposed that rather than holding a special meeting on Friday to break the impasse, Lee should withdraw herself from the running for chairwoman, propose that the committee defer the election process, and move on to other business.
