Pan-democrats shut out as Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp regains leadership of key Legco funding subcommittees
Pro-establishment lawmakers cement control of committees handling government funding; next up today is control of 16 out of 18 policy panels
Hong Kong's pro-establishment camp yesterday regained the leadership of two key Legislative Council subcommittees that vet government funding requests.
The development came after the camp last week monopolised the leadership of the top two overseeing bodies in the legislature - the House Committee and the Finance Committee.
It marks a further souring of relations between pan-democrats and Beijing loyalists.
The camp will continue its bid today to grab the chairman posts in 16 out of Legco's 18 panels examining government policies.
"It was they who ruined the convention last year … We will not give as much away as we did in the past," said Ip Kwok-him, who is responsible for coordinating the pro-establishment camp in Legco.
READ MORE: Legco chair monopoly: Hong Kong's pro-establishment camp snaps up key posts on Legislative Council committees
Last year, the pan-democrats, in a move that caught the rival camp unprepared, sent most of its members to the two subcommittees - establishment and public works - to secure a majority. That made it possible for them to take the chairmanships and vice-chairmanships and start a "non-cooperation movement" to press the government for concessions on political reform, which ended in vain.