Peace returns to Hong Kong’s legislature as new leader Carrie Lam attends first session – but how long will honeymoon last?
City’s new chief executive immediately rings changes by speaking from stage next to Legislative Council president rather than in front of him as her predecessor Leung Chun-ying did
While radical lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung was again ousted from the chamber as he protested against Lam for not implementing a universal pension scheme, lawmakers from both sides agreed the meeting was more constructive and peaceful than those attended by Lam’s predecessor Leung Chun-ying.
Lam’s first Q&A session also saw a notable change in the chamber’s setting. Instead of following Leung’s arrangement and speaking from a stage in front of the Legco president, Lam spoke from the president’s right, resuming the practice of Leung’s predecessor, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen.
Leung courted controversy when he first moved the stage in January 2014 to deliver his policy speech. His office explained at the time that the lighting for the new location “would be better”.
A spokesman for Lam’s office said the revised setting would allow the chief executive to communicate better with Legco president, if the need arose.