All Eyes On Legco Decision By Beijing

The controversy over a one-year vacuum in the legislature because of the postponed Legco election – along with the fate of four disqualified lawmakers – takes centre stage when the National People's Congress Standing Committee kicks off a four-day meeting on Saturday.

Debate rages on whether Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung, who were barred from running in the now-delayed 2020 vote, should be allowed to stay on in the coming year.

The NPC Standing Committee is also expected to make a decision on how to fill the vacuum, with proposals such as a provisional legislature.

Political commentator Cheung Chor-yung believes the NPC Standing Committee should allow the four disqualified lawmakers to remain.

"I would say that the least controversial decision for them really is to allow all the existing Legco members to continue to serve in the Legislative Council in the coming year," he told an RTHK radio programme on Friday.

"Even though they are being regarded as disqualified for the September election, it doesn't mean that they are disqualified to serve in the current Legislative Council. And if you look at some of the candidates being qualified, they are also serving in the district council. Then do you also mean they're being expelled from the current district council?"

Hong Kong's sole delegate on the NPC Standing Committee, Tam Yiu-chung, said he will be reflecting the views of Hong Kong people at the meeting in Beijing.

He flew to the capital from Hong Kong on the eve of the four-day meeting.

Another pro-establishment heavyweight, Maria Tam, who's a deputy director of the Basic Law Committee, said the issue relating to Legco is not on the agenda for now. But she believes members will take up the topic at the meeting.