Hong Kong Legislative Council meeting aborted as lawmakers turn to campaigning for district elections

The Legislative Council chamber. A panel meeting was forced to adjourn on Tuesday due to low attendance. Photo: Nora Tam

A panel meeting of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council was forced to adjourn on Tuesday due to low attendance as lawmakers instead chose to spend their time on district council election campaigns.

After two pan-democratic Legco members deliberately walked out of the meeting, just nine were left to discuss new land and development policy initiatives announced by the government last month. A minimum of 12 Legco members, up to a total of 37, are needed for panel sessions to go ahead.

At 8.45am, after the quorum bell rang for 15 minutes, chairman of the development panel Tony Tse Wai-chuen adjourned the meeting until further notice.

Secretary for Development Michael Wong Wai-lun was among the 17 officials invited to attend the meeting.

Lawmaker Tony Tse Wai-chuen was one of only a few Legco members to attend a panel meeting on Tuesday, forcing it to be aborted. Photo: Edward Wong

“We only need 12 people for a meeting, and it’s unfortunate that we were not able to form such a quorum,” said Tse. “There were numerous items we need to discuss, and the public is very much concerned about land and development issues.”

Tuesday’s session was the first to be aborted in the new legislative year, which started last month.

People Power legislator Raymond Chan Chi-chuen said he walked out before the bell stopped because of his discontent towards the panel chairman and deputy chairman, who are both pro-establishment lawmakers.

“They [pro-establishment lawmakers] have the responsibility to attend meetings,” Chan said.

“Even if I stayed in the room with lawmaker Cheng Chung-tai, we still could not have reached the quorum,” he said, referring to the other pan-democratic member that deliberately left the meeting.

Lawmaker Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu was said he did not attend the Tuesday meeting because he was focused on district council election issues. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

The 26 absentees included members from both camps – 18 pro-establishment and eight pan-democratic lawmakers. Many said their absence was due to the need to prepare for the district council elections on November 24.

“I visited the district this morning, and I told the secretary beforehand that I would not attend the meeting,” said lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the pro-establishment Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB).

“The district council polls are coming, and I have to give consideration to electioneering campaign.”

All nine DAB members did not attend the meeting, including the party’s chairperson, Starry Lee Wai-king.

“I am late because of district work. Have to say sorry,” Lee said via text message.

Lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king also said she was preoccupied with district council related commitments. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Pan-democratic lawmakers Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu and Jeremy Tam Man-ho also said via text message that their absences were due to district council meetings and related visits.

However, deputy chairman of the development panel Luk Chung-hung blamed traffic for his absence.

“There was a heavy traffic jam in West Kowloon that caused my delay,” Luk said. “I was hoping I could make it but I arrived just after the quorum bell rang.”

Alice Mak Mei-kuen, from the same political party as Luk – the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions – also missed the meeting.