Pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung was ordered to leave the chamber a minute into Wednesday’s Legislative Council meeting.
Hui, of the Democratic Party, challenged LegCo president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen’s decision to not debate the recent Basic Law interpretation by Beijing.
Hui was originally scheduled to ask a verbal question on the LegCo election, but he used the slot to raise the question over Beijing’s interference with Leung.
“Why did you not allow an adjournment debate over the interpretation? Did you want to protect [the government]?” Hui said.
But Leung dismissed the question.
LegCo president Leung then ordered him to stop speaking several times, before he ordered Hui to leave. His order was unsuccessful, as pro-democracy lawmakers surrounded Hui to prevent him from being removed.
Leung then suspended the meeting.
‘Very unreasonable’
Hui said he was very upset about Leung’s decision. “This is the first Legislative Council meeting after Beijing’s interpretation of the Basic Law. Do we want to ask the prescheduled question, or do we want to discuss the interpretation?” Hui said.
He said he was trying to ask for the adjournment debate motion raised by his party colleague James To Kun-sun, which was rejected by the president.
To said Leung should have allowed the question to be raised. “Hui was asking a question on procedure. [Leung’s decision] is very unreasonable. This is why the pro-democracy camp protested.”
“When the whole world – the international community – is discussing Hong Kong’s situation, it is only the Legislative Council, a formal session, [that] is left out,” To said.
The meeting was suspended to 1pm on Wednesday. Hui said he was not sure if he can attend the meeting when it resumes.
Hui added that he hoped other lawmakers would raise the question again for him in the case that he is barred from participating in the meeting.
Youngspiration lawmakers
The two Youngspiration lawmakers Baggio Leung Chun-hang and Yau Wai-ching, whose oath controversy sparked the Basic Law interpretation, were also barred from joining the meeting.
They did not try to enter the chamber on Wednesday.
“For three weeks we weren’t able to hold meetings, and it’s still like that in the fourth week,” said Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions’ Wong Kwok-kin after the meeting was suspended. “We condemn these people in the pan-democratic camp and we believe that we have to support the Legislative Council president in executing order in the chamber.”
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam said during the meeting: “I find it strange to hear that the stability of legislature is to be affected by the interpretation. Since October 12, the chaos created in the chamber in LegCo meetings has been with us for a month. So far you have not been able to operate normally.”
“I think the people of Hong Kong know very well who should be blamed,” she said.
