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Emily Lau believes that Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his officials will now
have to work harder for Legco support. - JACKIE SO
Outspoken Frontier convenor and lawmaker Emily Lau says her election as chairman
of the Legco Finance Committee has "stirred up a hornet's nest'' among
pro-Beijing lawmakers.
It also ensures that Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his officials will have
to work harder for Legco support of their proposals during the next four years,
she said
Lau, who took the committee chair from pro-Beijing lawmaker and incumbent Philip
Wong in a secret ballot on Wednesday, said the results not only shocked
pro-Beijing lawmakers but also annoyed Tung and Central Government Liaison
Office officials.
"Mr Tung is said to be unhappy and has spoken to some of the culprits,'' Lau
told Radio Television Hong Kong's Letter to Hong Kong.
"Officials of the Central Government Liaison Office are also said to be alarmed
and annoyed and have intervened.''
The Finance Committee scrutinises public expenditure proposals and controls
spending.
It is understood that although Lau could secure support from only 24
pro-democrat lawmakers, last-minute support from five Alliance lawmakers and
banking sector lawmaker David Li gave her the key committee post by 30 votes to
28.
She said she believes the support for her bid has shocked pro-Beijing lawmakers.
"It is an understatement to say that my election as the chairman of the Finance
Committee has stirred up a hornet's nest,'' she said. "The incident has sown
mistrust in the pro-Beijing camp and reports say feeling between some Legco
members is very tense.''
With the pro-democrat camp now holding 25 seats in the legislature, she said
Tung and his ministers might have a hard time securing Legco support.
"Even normally pro-government and pro-Beijing legislators may have flashes of
independence and that can make life difficult [for the administration],'' she
said.
Despite suggestions that Lau is being used by lawmakers to send a message that
even a handful of votes can make a critical difference, she said it is clear
that "invisible forces'' have been actively interfering in the operation of
Legco and mainland officials may be increasingly involved.
"[That] is regrettable. Under such a scenario, does anyone really believe that
the SAR still enjoys `a high degree of autonomy'?'' she asked.
She said she believes both the SAR government and Beijing will be determined not
to allow leadership of any other key committees to fall under the control of
the pro-democrat camp, including the chairs of the influential Public Accounts
Committee and Constitutional Affairs Panel for which votes will be cast
tomorrow.
The Public Accounts Committee makes recommendations on the Director of Audit's
report on government spending while the Constitutional Affairs Panel plays an
important role in negotiations between pro-democrats and government on
political development in Hong Kong.
michael.ng@globalchina.com
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