Rivals Trade Blame As Legco Is Forced To Adjourn

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

Related News Programmes

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1463838_1_20190619193552.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1463838-20190619.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1463838-20190619.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2019-06-19 HKT 17:35

Share this story

facebook

  • The lawmakers were grilling the government over the police action against the protesters when the meeting was adjourned abruptly. Photo: RTHK

    The lawmakers were grilling the government over the police action against the protesters when the meeting was adjourned abruptly. Photo: RTHK

The Legislative Council’s full meeting was adjourned on Wednesday afternoon, because not enough lawmakers were in the chamber as the pro-government side stayed away after Democratic Party lawmaker Andrew Wan made a quorum call.

While the opposition put the blame on the pro-government side, their rivals justified their action, saying the pan-democrats were spending hours discussing matters that some people found to be unpleasant.

Before the quorum bell sounded, lawmakers had spent almost four hours discussing two urgent questions relating to the way police handled the protests on June 12.

Wan defended his decision to call for a quorum count, saying he wanted to "expose" the pro-government lawmakers who generally kept a low profile during most of the debate.

He said it was the duty of all lawmakers to be present during Legco meetings.

Civic Party legislator Alvin Yeung said the pro-government colleagues walked out collectively on purpose.

Another pan-democratic lawmaker, Chu Hoi-dick, also said he believes the pro-establishment legislators had left the chamber to avoid further debate on allegations against the police.

A motion relating to the matter, tabled by Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong, was due to be discussed.

“I think pro-Beijing legislators chose not to appear before the quorum bell ends because they don’t want [Kwong]’s motion to be discussed… it’s a deliberate move,” Chu said.

The pro-government camp said they skipped the meeting after discussing the issue among themselves.

Liberal Party lawmaker and Exco member Tommy Cheung said the camp decided that it’s meaningless to “repeatedly discuss an issue that some people found disturbing”, so they did not return when the quorum bell was rung.

But Felix Chung, also from the Liberal Party, said whoever wasn’t in the chamber should be blamed for the adjournment.

“I really have no idea why the other members are not here. We haven’t had a chamber meeting for over a week. We should keep on having the meetings, I mean, there are so many things that we still need to discuss, we still need to debate,” Chung said.

_____________________________



Last updated: 2019-6-19 HKT 19:07

RECENT NEWS

Is Hong Kongs Financial Hub Status At Risk?

Globally, Hong Kong has made its mark as a financial hub alongside Singapore and Dubai. These city-states, while rivals... Read more

Project Aurum Phase Two Focuses On Privacy For Retail CBDCs

The BIS Innovation Hub Hong Kong Centre, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), has initiated t... Read more

Cyberport Welcomes New Directors, Retains Key Leaders For 2024-2026

Hong Kong Cyberport has announced the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government’s appointment of th... Read more

Redefining Resilience For Banks In The Digital Era With The Four Zeros

The banking industry stands at the brink of a major transformation, driven by rapid technological advancements and chan... Read more

GSBN Partners Ant To Digitise Shipping Processes In Hong Kongs WCBDC Project

The Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN), in partnership with Ant Group, has developed a prototype electronic bill o... Read more

HKMA Alerts Public To Fraudulent Claims Regarding E-HKD Pilot Programme

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) advises the public to exercise caution following reports of entities falsely cl... Read more