A pro-democracy lawmaker will table a motion of no confidence against the chair of the legislature’s Finance Committee. Lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki says the chair is determined to pass the government’s new land reclamation plan, even before it was submitted to the committee for review.
Last week, Finance Committee Chair Chan Kin-por said that funding to study the government’s controversial Lantau Tomorrow Vision plan- which will see 1,700 hectares of artificial islands being built off Lantau – could be passed with under 20 hours of discussion. He also said lawmakers who oppose the plan are “sinners of a thousand years.”
The Civic Party’s Kwok said he was disappointed in Chan and found his remarks to be unacceptable.
“He has violated the independent, objective and fair role of being the chair,” Kwok said. “He already has a stance over the Lantau Tomorrow plan, which has yet to be submitted to the Finance Committee.”
“I have no other ways but to exercise my right as a member of the Finance Committee to table a motion of no confidence at the upcoming meeting,” Kwok added.
It may take more than a month to handle the motion, and it may fail since democrats only constitute a minority in the committee.
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Claudia Mo – the pro-democracy camp’s convener – has written to the legislature’s House Committee, which discusses internal matters. She asked for a debate on Chan’s remarks to be held on Friday.
“He promised that such a controversial matter could be passed by the Finance Committee in under 20 hours, [and] that the government can be assured they will get the money,” Mo said. “He has given up on being a fair and unbiased chair.”
“[His behaviour] is akin to cancelling the legislature’s power to monitor,” Mo added. “This is ridiculous and unimaginable.”
Mo said that Starry Lee, the pro-Beijing chair of the House Committee, had no reason to deny a debate on Chan’s remarks.
