Pan-democrats secure only two of 18 Legco panel chairmanships

Pan-democrats yesterday secured the chairmanships of two key bodies under the Legislative Council's finance committee, but their pro-establishment rivals will lead all but two of the legislature's 18 panels.

Yesterday's tussle represented the latest clash between the two camps as their rivalry continues to escalate.

Civic Party leader Alan Leong Kah-kit was elected chairman of the Public Works Subcommittee (PWSC), and accountancy legislator Kenneth Leung will head the Establishment Subcommittee, both under the Finance Committee.

They secured the positions only after more than 20 pan-democrats surprised their pro-establishment colleagues by joining the two bodies shortly before the deadline last week.

It means the pan-democrats will have the power to decide whether government funding proposals for public works and changes in official posts are approved for final scrutiny by the Finance Committee.

Angry lawmakers in the pro-establishment camp accused the pan-democrats of breaching a promise that they would not seek to chair the PWSC. They responded by ignoring their own promises to allow three pan-democratic vice-chairmen - Dr Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, Wu Chi-wai and Ip Kin-yuen - to respectively chair the home affairs, housing and education panels.

Pan-democrats won the chairmanships for two panels - Peter Cheung Kwok-che on the welfare panel and Dr Joseph Lee Kok-long on health - compared with four last year, giving them the power to decide the agenda of the bodies. Four pan-democrats were elected vice-chairmen, compared with nine a year ago.