- The Legislative Council is becoming a rubber stamp for Carrie Lam’s administration. Pro-democracy lawmakers must adopt a strategy of ‘if we burn, you burn with us’ and make pro-establishment types feel the cost of continuing to support Lam
A new session of the Legislative Council has begun and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has delivered her policy address. Last week, Chan Kin-po was reelected as chairman of the Finance Committee after hours of filibustering by the pro-democracy camp.
As the pro-establishment camp holds the majority of Legco seats, it is expected to manipulate the council by dominating the positions of chairman and vice-chairman of all committees. Hence it is a convention that, before Legco resumes, the two camps negotiate a way to split the positions. Since there are more pro-establishment legislators, they usually take up chairman roles, and pro-democracy legislators fill in as deputies. Other parliaments in democratic countries have similar arrangements.
But the situation in Hong Kong this year is completely different. The anti-extradition bill movement has swept Hong Kong since June 9 and still shows no signs of abating. Legco was forced to adjourn after protesters seized the council complex on July 1.
Public opinion was on the side of the protesters. Although Lam eventually withdrew the bill, it did not defuse the situation. The protests have evolved into an anti-government movement.
Along with Lam, the pro-establishment legislators have become public enemies. This year, they are seeking to take control of all committees to diminish the influence of the opposition. Should this happen, Legco would be a mere rubber stamp for Lam's administration.
What should the pro-democracy camp do? For starters, it should stop sticking to its old principles and taking part in council meetings obediently, or it will be perceived as hypocritical by those taking part in or supporting the movement.
The pro-democracy camp plays a very minimal role in the current movement, nor does it actively participate in confrontational protests. But it could and should do its job by fighting government and paralysing Legco, to create a favourable climate for next year's Legco election.
Hong Kong's unrest is a vote of no confidence in the pan-democrats
The method is simple. Although pro-establishment legislators hold the majority, most are not full-time lawmakers. Generally, after a quorum for a meeting is achieved, most pro-establishment legislators leave to deal with other matters " their own business matters, for instance " and might even be absent from the meeting itself.
This is their Achilles' heel, and the pro-democracy lawmakers must attack it by being more diligent and persistent than ever. They must sign up for all committees in the upcoming year and attend all meetings. In this way, they might be able to outnumber the pro-establishment legislators in some meetings and seize control.
At the very least, they would succeed in making pro-establishment lawmakers feel the cost of continuing to support Lam's administration.
To prevent ambushes by the pro-democracy camp, the pro-establishment legislators would have no choice to but to drop everything else and start attending all meetings, too. But even if they do, the pro-democracy camp can always filibuster.
Politics is a battleground. In adversity, one must be prepared to use unconventional methods to win. Definitely, one must stop fantasising that there are good guys on the other side.
Politics is a battleground. In adversity, one must be prepared to use unconventional methods to win
Paralysing Legco in the spirit of "if we burn, you burn with us" might be the only way to save Hong Kong. The pro-democracy camp must reflect on whether it has fulfilled its duties. It must stand its ground and unite.
If the pro-democracy legislators continue with useless dramas in Legco, without a plan or strategy, they will just lose more votes. Instead, they must fight every battle in every conference room, forcing those lazy pro-establishment lawmakers to attend every meeting and exhausting them. This might be the only way to prevent further decay of parliamentary politics in Hong Kong.
If they keep it up, pro-democracy legislators might have more bargaining power in the next session of Legco, and perhaps an equal number of committee roles. If they can't do even this " if they can't stand strong as the last defence of Hong Kong " they are doomed to be abandoned by all voters.
Albert Cheng King-hon is a political commentator. taipan@albertcheng.hk
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