New Legco business alliance will not be a pushover, says Jeffrey Lam
Deputy leader of Legco grouping warns Leung it won't necessarily back his policies just because he has been appointed to Exco
The new Business and Professionals Alliance political grouping has warned the government it should not take its support for granted.
The comment came despite its vice-chairman, Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, being appointed to the Executive Council with New People's Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee this month.
Lam said his appointment would not make his party a "voting machine" in Legco. "The government needs firm support from the pro-establishment parties, but its policies must benefit Hong Kong in the long run," he said. "Our seven votes are not guaranteed to go to the government if its policies turn out otherwise.
"I am not going to be a political vase in Exco, nor will our party become a voting machine that supports the government in every case."
Lam was a core supporter of Henry Tang Ying-yen's doomed campaign for chief executive, and his political grouping, formerly known as Economic Synergy, was a loyal ally of the previous government.
The group recently rebranded itself to form the Business and Professionals Alliance, consisting of seven lawmakers.
His appointment by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to the top policymaking body is seen as a sign of reconciliation between the Leung and Tang camps, and a consolation prize for the business sector after Tang's defeat.