Hong Kong lawmaker promises more extreme action after legislature rule changes curb filibustering
Eddie Chu decries amendments to Legco meeting procedures which he says strip allies of their power, and vows ‘all methods’ will be employed in future
Localist lawmaker Eddie Chu Hoi-dick has vowed to take more extreme action to make his voice heard in Hong Kong’s legislature after the rules of the chamber were amended last week to curb filibustering despite strong opposition.
The city’s rival political camps were reviewing their strategies over the weekend after the Legislative Council on Friday passed 25 amendments to its rules of procedure proposed by the pro-establishment bloc and the house rules committee.
The changes included one requiring 35 instead of 20 lawmakers to support the setting up of any committee investigating government officials, and another that would require fewer lawmakers be present for certain types of Legco meetings to go ahead.
The other amendments were mainly aimed at curbing delaying tactics by opposition pan-democratic legislators, who have repeatedly called for quorum counts to ensure sufficient attendance in the chamber, made long speeches and submitted stacks of amendments, among other filibustering tools.
Pan-democrats have decried the amendments, saying they strip them of the power to impose checks and balances on the government.