Hong Kong opposition lawmakers resort to filibustering on first day of Legco’s extended term
- A total of 12 quorum calls were made as pan-democratic legislators used their speaking slots to air various grievances
- Four bills were up for debate, but only one could be discussed
Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers on Wednesday employed filibustering tactics to drag out proceedings during the first meeting of the Legislative Council’s extended term.
A total of 12 quorum calls were made throughout the day as pan-democratic legislators used their speaking slots to air their grievances about Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s sudden postponement of the policy address, which was originally meant to be held on Wednesday.
Lam on Monday announced she was postponing the annual address to the end of November, citing the need to attend meetings in Beijing to flesh out details of cooperation with mainland China.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first of the one-year extended legislative term, following the government’s decision to push back the September general elections by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are supposed to be talking about the policy address, not about the statute bill today,” Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung said, referring to an amendment bill aimed at reducing the number of judges who sit on Court of Appeal panels from three to two.