Lawmakers hunker down for uncomfortable night of work

After two days eating junk food and spending practically all their waking hours in the Legislative Council building, lawmakers are bracing for worse - from tonight the council is expected to be meeting around the clock.

'Being the only doctor in Legco, I will bring along my medical kit in case any of my overworked colleagues suddenly faint while talking,' said Kwok Ka-ki, representing the medical sector.

'All this junk food is doing no good and I strongly advise against debating overnight, as we all know that not all of them are in excellent health. Perhaps I should also bring along intravenous drips to sustain them while they talk,' he said.

The chamber is not exactly a college of athletes. Many are middle-aged, including President Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, who has beaten cancer and undergone a kidney transplant.

If they keep feasting on the high-calorie, low-fibre junk food laid on by officials and some lawmakers, that will make things worse.

'You are giving us many pressures - are you asking us to choose between sacrificing our health or not carrying out our duties and talking less?' Democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming asked Mrs Fan.