CE Proposes New Legco Panel On Electoral Reform

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has proposed the setting up of a Legco sub-committee to help fast-track legal changes to Hong Kong's electoral overhaul.

Appearing before lawmakers in Legco on Wednesday, Lam said they could first set up the new body under the House Committee to discuss the Beijing-led reform.

And after the national legislature changes the annexes of the Basic Law, the panel could then immediately be turned into a regular bills committee to scrutinise the amendments.

Lam said officials will be more than happy to attend the sub-committee meetings.

The chief executive reiterated that the government is on a tight schedule to change the election laws within the next 12 months, and Legco's support is indispensable.

Lam also stressed the electoral overhaul has priority over other matters, such as requiring district councillors to take an oath and introducing non-locally trained doctors, which were among five proposals she made last month.

She said work relating to those issues could be "suspended".

"I don't want lawmakers working too hard... I hope to arrange the work better later on, through the president or the chair of the House Committee," Lam told the council.

Commerce sector lawmaker Martin Liao asked whether it remains the government's goal to complete the vetting of those bills before the end of the Legco term.

Lam said it remains the government's target to handle four of those issues, while pointing out that the proposal on fire safety has been scheduled only for public consultation this year.

This was the first CE question session in Legco since the 2019 anti-government protests.

Lam announced last November the resumption of her monthly question sessions, saying she wants to strengthen her relationship with lawmakers.

She had suspended the event – which she introduced when she became Hong Kong's leader – citing "chaos" due to protests by the pro-democracy camp.