Pan-dems To Seek Their Own Advice On Legco Impasse

The pro-democracy camp in Legco have launched a crowdfunding bid to hire their own lawyers for another legal opinion regarding the deadlock in Legco's House Committee.

This comes after external legal advice released on Monday said former House Committee chairwoman Starry Lee has the authority to take control of the proceedings being as no new chair has been elected since Legco came back after the summer break last year.

Speaking to reporters outside Legco on Tuesday morning, Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said that this legal advice was questionable, and that her camp is trying to raise HK$240,000 to hire outside lawyers of their own.

Chan, who is the camp's convenor, said Legco's 22 pro-democracy lawmakers will chip in HK$100,000 themselves, and they hope to get their own legal advice by Friday when the next House Committee meeting takes place.

She said that it was clear that the pro-establishment camp have relied "totally" on the legal advice provided by two senior counsels, and have ignored the opinion given by Legco's own legal advisers, which is that the election of a chairperson must come first and Lee can't move on to other business.

Chan said it was "important, essential, or even critical" for there to be an independent opinion to "allow the public, as well as other legislators, and the CE to have a different perspective and hopefully to make up their mind on how we should proceed".

She also responded to comments made by the Chief Executive earlier on Tuesday after Carrie Lam said that it was just a coincidence that the external advice from the two senior counsels matches the opinions of the government.

Chan said she was puzzled why the Chief Executive could read out word for word the new external legal advice, saying it was a confidential document among lawmakers.

She also said Lam has an interest in the House Committee electing a chairperson, because she needs controversial national anthem legislation to be enacted as soon as possible.

"I do believe, especially when she pointed out the national anthem this morning, she’s very eager to pass this law before the end of this term," she said.

"Obviously it’s her political assignment that she needs to fulfill as soon as possible. But without solving the problem raised by the pro-establishment camp and herself last year because of the extradition bill, together with this national anthem bill, this would only worsen the Hong Kong situation."