Hong Kong lawmakers try new tactic to counter stalling of medical reform bill
Pro-government legislators co-ordinate breaks to maintain required numbers during debate
The vote on a government proposal to reform the doctors’ watchdog was delayed for another day at the Legislative Council on Thursday, despite pro-Beijing lawmakers adopting a new strategy to fight attempts to stall the bill.
The debate on reforming the Medical Council will continue at 9am on Friday morning, despite supporters agreeing to stay in the chamber to maintain the required quorum for 45 minutes before taking a break together.
It came as lawmaker Dr Leung Ka-lau made repeated quorum calls throughout the Legco meeting to delay a second reading of the bill, which aims to reform the Medical Council, for two days.
Last week, the meeting was adjourned as the chamber was one lawmaker short.
To prevent another adjournment before the last meeting of the four-year legislative term next week, it is understood the Food and Health Bureau has mobilised 40 staff to take shifts in Legco to ensure the required quorum.
Radical lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung said pro-government lawmakers had only themselves to blame.
“The tactic would not work if they all behaved and did their duty by sitting down. Why should [Chief Secretary Carrie] Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor blame Leung Ka-lau for calling the quorum?”
Lam had called Leung’s tactics “aggressive and irresponsible”.
Ip Kwok-him, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong told the Post they were countering the repeated quorum bells by adopting a “25 per cent off” strategy.
It means at least 35 of them stay in the chamber for at least 45 minutes, and then those who have other matters to handle can leave the chamber and return in 15 minutes, he said.
With the strategy in place the quorum bell rang only once every hour, compared with at least 16 times before 2pm.
The government wants to increase the number of appointed lay people on the council from four to eight, which it says will improve transparency and speed up the handling of complaints.
But several doctors’ groups expressed fear the extra number of appointed members will allow the council to be dominated by government supporters, undermining the watchdog’s autonomy.
They staged a rally outside Legco for the third day, with University of Hong Kong Students’ Union President Althea Suen Hiu-nam attending on Thursday.
Suen cited the incident where Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying appointed Beijing-loyalist Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung to chair the university governing council despite strong opposition as an example of political interference.
One of the organisers, the Public Doctors’ Association, issued a statement to support Leung’s stalling tactics as they said the government rushed the bill without proper consultation.
“The reform has been dragging by the government for almost two decades. Now they just roll out a plan and push it ahead,” said Labour Party’s lawmaker Lee Chuk-yan, who objected to the proposal.
“If the reform was so urgent, why did they not do it earlier so that there was more time for consultation? They only have themselves to be blamed.”
The Democratic Party’s Emily Lau Wai-hing said the reform should be passed as soon as possible even if it is not perfect, and she “begged” Leung to stop stalling.
