Minister breaks ranks over Democratic Party function
Transport and Housing Minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung will break ranks from the government's "collective decision" and attend the Democratic Party's 20th anniversary dinner.
Transport and Housing Minister Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung will break ranks from the government's "collective decision" and attend the Democratic Party's 20th anniversary dinner.
Cheung, a former vice-chairman of the party, is the only top official to confirm he will attend after the government banned all ministers and senior civil servants from the event on February 27 because the party called for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to step down. "I have indeed accepted the invitation from the Democratic Party. I will attend their cocktail reception," Cheung said yesterday.
The boycott order came after Democrat lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan announced that he would resign his "super seat" in the Legislative Council to trigger a "de facto referendum" on political reform.
Government officials oppose Ho's decision, saying it will waste public money and have no effect on Beijing's stance on its stringent framework for the 2017 chief executive election.
Health minister Dr Ko Wing-man, who had previously accepted the party's invitation, confirmed that the government had discussed whether ministers should attend the event.
Ko said he would follow the "collective decision", if such a decision had been made.
The government's latest move could further harm its relationship with the Democratic Party. Lobbying the six-seat party has been seen as key to getting the reform package approved.
The package requires at least four votes from pan-democrats to secure two-thirds support in the legislature.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, however, the relationship between government and political parties would not be affected.
"Whether government officials attend social functions organised by political parties, it will not affect our working relationship with the legislators," Lam said. She did not respond over whether she would attend the dinner, but reiterated that she would strive for pan-democrats' support for political reform by maintaining contact with them.
The Democratic Party's chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said Lam's remarks were "weird".
"They say one thing but do another," she said.
