Increase in radical and pro-Beijing legislators will make consensus harder
By Li Xueying, The Straits Times, 11 Oct 2012
HONG KONG - Hurled insults, shouted slogans and well-timed coughs made their appearance in the august legislature chamber, as Hong Kong's new Legislative Council (LegCo) convened for the first time yesterday.
The 70 lawmakers also elected their president. Pro-Beijing legislator Jasper Tsang won handily against his opponent, Mr Alan Leong, a moderate pan-democrat.
The twin developments are a flavour of things to come.
Hong Kong's new LegCo sees the rise of radical politicians, who have increased from three to five. At the other end, the number of pro-Beijing legislators went up from 11 to 16. Squeezed out in the centre are moderate democrats.
With a shrinking middle ground, the LegCo will have to find ways to cobble together consensus on issues ranging from housing and poverty matters to the design of a universal suffrage system.
It will not be easy.
Yesterday, Mr Wong Yuk Man, a legislator from the People Power, told The Straits Times: "We intend to oppose everything, to resist the government. That is our strategy."
His party has successfully galvanised tens of thousands of people to take to the streets in protests this year, and Mr Wong said it will coordinate actions within the lawmaking chamber, such as filibustering, and outside on the streets to force the government's hand.
Mr Wong gained notoriety in 2008 when he threw bananas at then Chief Executive Donald Tsang, when the latter said that an allowance for the elderly, called fruit money, should be subject to means-testing.
Presumably to pre-empt such missiles in the future, Mr Wong and his colleagues were moved this time round to the sixth and last row of seats farthest from the front.
That did not stop their rowdy behaviour yesterday, as each of them took their oaths.
Mr Wong coughed to disrupt the flow of his oath. "I pledged my loyalty and service to the People's, ahem!, of China and Hong Kong, ahem!."
And as Mr Tsang took his seat as the newly-elected LegCo president, Mr Albert Chan Wai Yip yelled that he was a stooge of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Freshmen legislators added twists to their oaths. Mr Raymond Chan, Hong Kong's first openly gay legislator, said while wearing a pink tie: "The revolution has not been won, we must continue to work hard, we do not want CCP rule in Hong Kong."
The radicals' stances, which have some level of grassroots support, are piling pressure on moderate pan-democrats.
One of the first issues the new LegCo would have to deal with is a proposal to give needy elderly an extra HK$2,200 (S$353) to supplement the fruit money. Mr Leung wants it means-tested, but most pan-democrats have indicated their opposition.
The pro-Beijing camp could also prove intractable. Mr Chan Kam Lam of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said it sees no way of working with the radicals. Instead, it intends to table a motion to make filibustering - one of their tactics - more difficult in future.
His colleague Gary Chan Hak Kan said other pro-establishment parties are already on board a proposal to limit how long a filibuster can go on.
Amid the politicking, legislators are keen to move on issues close to their hearts.
Mr Charles Mok, who represents information technology interests, wants to lobby for the establishment of a government bureau to help the industry grow, while Ms Regina Ip said she wants to help middle-class families frustrated over the benefits for their domestic workers.
But the elephant in the room is how Hong Kong will get its universal suffrage. Beijing has promised to grant this by 2017. The Basic Law stipulates a "broadly representative" nomination committee, but is short on details.
Said Mr Wong firmly: "We don't want any nominating process at all. All Hong Kongers should get to choose."
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