Maria Tam expects pan-dems to stay in extended Legco term

The vice-chairwoman of the Basic Law Committee, Maria Tam Wai-chu, says she expects pro-democracy lawmakers to stay in the extended Legislative Council tenure. 

Speaking on a radio program, Tam thinks the opposition camp should find good reasons to retain their seats, adding they could help solve deep-rooted problems in Hong Kong if they decided to stay in the extended term. 

Earlier this week, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Beijing’s top legislative body, has made a unanimous agreement to extend the operation of the current Legco in Hong Kong by a year, due to the severe epidemic situation in the SAR.

The four incumbent pro-democracy legislators, who have been disqualified from running in the now-delayed election, originally scheduled on September 6, are allowed to retain their seats. 

But pro-democracy lawmakers have debated on whether to stay in or boycott the NPCSC’s decision. 

Tam believes the SAR’s decision to postpone the election was out of the pandemic concerns instead of other political reasons, as the NPCSC didn’t bar incumbent lawmakers from the extended tenure. 

She added the SAR should be responsible to decide on the qualifications of legislators instead of the central government, saying that the delay would not affect returning officers’ judgment a year later. 

Suggestions from the pro-establishment camp have called for setting up a provisional Legco, which was once invoked in 1997, but Tam said Hong Kong citizens would not accept such an arrangement if Legco members were appointed. 

On the same radio program, Tam also dismissed concerns that the arrest of media mogul Jimmy Lai Chi-ying has undermined press freedom in Hong Kong. 

She explained that Lai’s newspaper, Apple Daily, is still being published at the moment. 

But she added people should not seek foreign sanctions on Hong Kong or try to paralyze or overthrow the administration when they want to voice out mistakes made by the government. 

Lai was arrested by police on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and colluding with foreign forces, an offense under the sweeping national security law. He was released on bail during the early hours on Wednesday. 

Officers had raided the Apple Daily offices in Tseung Kwan O on Monday, saying the search was to investigate a crime linked to national security. 

Along with Lai, several Next Media group executives have launched an interim against the police, demanding the return of any seized documents or news materials that were not covered by the search warrant.