A shared responsibility
My surprise election as chairwoman of the Legislative Council Finance Committee last Wednesday has sent shockwaves through the establishment. Some people were angry and flabbergasted that a person banned by Beijing for more than a decade should be made head of one of the most powerful committees of the assembly.
Since all legislators, bar the president, sit on the Finance Committee, it has 59 members. Before the election, most people expected me to get only 25 votes - all from pro-democracy members. The incumbent, Philip Wong Yu-hong, was expected to win with 34 votes.
Thus, when I won by 30 votes to 28, most people were stunned. For Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and officials at the central government liaison office, it was a sick joke and a serious blunder that must not be repeated.
Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun, singled out members of The Alliance - formerly known as the Breakfast Group - for criticism over how they voted.
The liaison office is also said to be alarmed by Mr Wong's defeat and is taking a close interest in other committee elections. It is believed that Mr Wong may be offered the chairmanship of either the Public Accounts Committee or the Constitutional Affairs Panel as compensation.
The Public Accounts Committee has seven members, who will be elected by all 59 legislators at the House Committee meeting on Friday. They will then elect a chairman and vice-chairman. The Constitutional Affairs Panel met yesterday and elected Lui Ming-wah as chairman and Tsang Yok-sing as vice-chairman. The powers-that-be are taking a keen interest in who is elected to the various Legco committees because they want to exert their influence and keep matters under control. A government-friendly chairman can make life easier for officials and ensure that the outcome of meetings is more predictable.
However, any concern that pro-democracy legislators might use such positions to embarrass officials or block their proposals is unfounded.
I am grateful to my colleagues for electing me, and I will not let them down. I intend to be a fair, honest and effective chairwoman, and will work closely with the administration, vice-chairman, Chan Kam-lam, of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, and the staff of the Legco secretariat, to ensure that meetings are conducted smoothly and efficiently. Unfortunately, Mr Tung probably perceives some legislators as opponents, if not downright enemies. Efforts to marshal and co-ordinate the chairmanship of important committees, so that they do not fall into the wrong hands, is a sign of a lack of trust.
If Mr Tung and his principal officials want their proposals to have the support of Legco, they should consult legislators well in advance and take their views into account. If government proposals reflect a consensus within Legco, members will support them. Mr Tung must recognise that a genuine partnership with legislators will facilitate rather than hinder the work of his administration. His refusal to accept this reality all these years has made his administration ineffective and ineffectual.
If Mr Tung and the liaison office cannot overcome their hostility towards certain pro-democracy legislators, inviting one to sit on the Executive Council will be meaningless.
In order to give credibility and a mandate to his administration, Mr Tung must be prepared to share power and responsibility with Legco members, including those from the pro-democracy camp. Unless and until there is a genuine partnership, the chief executive cannot hope to improve the governance of Hong Kong. Without taking pro-democracy legislators' views into consideration, his policy proposals will not reflect the views of many voters.
Emily Lau Wai-hing is a legislative councillor for The Frontier
