Bypassing Bills Committee Not A Good Idea: BPA

Business and Professionals Alliance (BPA) lawmaker Priscilla Leung on Tuesday indicated that she doesn't favour the pro-government camp's reported plan to bypass a Legco bills committee in order to move forward proposed new extradition laws.

Reports have said that pro-establishment lawmakers might directly table the bill to the full council – if the vetting committee meeting on Tuesday ends without any progress. Last week, a meeting of the committee ended in acrimony without even electing a chairman.

Leung said overriding the committee is not a good idea. "Bills committees are very important for law drafting and dialogue between government officials and individual legislators. And also specific ideas can be raised in the committee discussions," she said.

"So I don't want to see anything to happen to bypass the committee," Leung said.

She urged the pan-democrats to approach the bill rationally and propose their constructive ideas on the government's amendment proposals.

But Civic Party lawmaker Dennis Kwok told RTHK that his camp will continue to put up a fight in the bills committee to try and stop the extradition bill.