Hong Kong pan-democrats warn of Legislative Council turmoil

Relations poised to worsen as Carrie Lam declines to commit to suggestions after four lawmakers’ unseating

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor says she is accountable to 7.3 million people, not just to the pan-democrats. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 4:34pm, 18 Jul 2017Updated: 11:19pm, 18 Jul 2017

Hong Kong’s opposition politicians on Tuesday night warned that it could no longer be business as usual at the Legislative Council after the city’s leader would not commit to their suggestions for making peace over the unseating of four pan-democrats last week.

Relations between the two sides looked set to worsen after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor brushed aside most of the pan-democrats’ requests on the eve of the last meeting of the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee before the summer recess on Wednesday.

Lam needs lawmakers to pass the HK$3.6 billion she has earmarked for an education funding boost, to be debated on Wednesday along with a bundle of other funding requests, and the opposition camp is in no mood to cooperate.

After another internal meeting of the pan-democratic camp on Tuesday night, convenor James To Kun-sun said: “If the government is not determined to untie the knots, there is no way for the pan-democrats to maintain a normal relationship with the government, and no way for Legco to run like business as usual.”

Lam speaking before the Executive Council meeting at government headquarters in Tamar on Tuesday. Photo: Edward Wong

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