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The president of Hong Kong’s legislature has denied that lawmakers wasted time by tabling “empty” motions in 2024, as he praised them for passing almost 50 per cent more bills in the first three years of their term than their predecessors did in the same period.
Andrew Leung on Thursday also said it was “too early” to think about his future ahead of the end of the current Legislative Council (LegCo) term next December, as he pledged to pass “all” incoming government bills over the next year.
Leung, who has been president of LegCo since 2016, was speaking to media at a year-end press conference to review the work of this legislative year.
He said LegCo had convened 36 times in 2024 and passed 34 government bills, including the city’s second security law the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known colloquially as Article 23.
The first three years of the current LegCo term saw 83 bills passed, which was 48 per cent more than the number passed by the previous term between 2016 and 2018, Leung said, calling current term lawmakers “hard-working and pragmatic.”
Hong Kong’s legislature has been without an opposition since pro-democracy candidates resigned en masse in 2020 after Beijing passed a resolution allowing the Hong Kong government to unseat four democrats with immediate effect. The following year, the electoral system was overhauled to ensure that only “patriots” could take office, while the number of directly elected seats was cut.
Many of the former opposition lawmakers have been jailed, left Hong Kong, or quit politics after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to quell dissent, following the pro-democracy protests and unrest in the previous year.
‘Real debate’
A recent column published by Sing Tao cited unnamed lawmakers who were said to have called some motions and speeches “empty” and “vaguely worded,” while also accusing some LegCo members of “indirectly filibustering.”
Asked about such criticism on Thursday, Leung praised lawmakers for being “colourful” and representing diverse opinions, adding that every motion had been carefully considered.
“What happened five and six years ago was filibustering. What we see now is real debate,” he said in Cantonese.
Opposition lawmakers in the last term used filibustering to block government bills, such as a since-axed extradition bill that triggered the 2019 protests.
Leung said next year would be a “very busy year” for LegCo as he pledged to complete legislation for bills to improve Hong Kong’s economy and people’s livelihoods.
“We will work closely with the government to make sure [we can pass] all the urgent bills the government would like to pass, to help Hong Kong and boost the economy and improve the livelihood of people,” he said.
He said every lawmaker should focus on their legislative duty next year and think about their future at an appropriate time.
Asked about the designated demonstration area in front of the LegCo complex, which had been closed to the public since the 2019 protests, Leung said the area’s “legitimate purpose” was for parking.
He said the expansion of the LegCo complex was ongoing, and the LegCo commission would decide on arrangements regarding public demonstrations later.
In March, 2021, Beijing passed legislation to ensure “patriots” govern Hong Kong. The move reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections and introduced a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates. The Hong Kong government said the overhaul would ensure the city’s stability and prosperity. But the changes also prompted international condemnation, as it makes it near-impossible for pro-democracy candidates to stand.
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