Dine-and-dash lawmakers force journalists to settle the bill

Several lawmakers who joined the Legislative Council after the revamp in 2021 have been "sneaking off" from media luncheons without paying the bill.

Under normal circumstances, lawmakers would pay the bill as they can claim the funds back from the council.

But several lawmakers excused themselves from the luncheons with toilet breaks when reporters said it was almost time to leave, and sneaked off without picking up the tab, according to Eastweek, sister publication of The Standard.

According to a Legco document on entertainment and traveling expenses reimbursement, every lawmaker can apply for up to nearly HK$229,810 in reimbursement on a nonaccountable basis except for the portion used to meet staff expenses.

That means every lawmaker has nearly HK$20,000 per month to foster relationships with different sectors, including the media.

Legco sources said: "Lawmakers regularly hold luncheons and chats so reporters can have a better understanding of their work."

However, the new lawmakers might not be aware of the importance of these gatherings, the sources added.

A new lawmaker elected after the electoral revamp, Tang Fei, representing the Election Committee sector, distanced himself from the incident. "It's obviously not me, I would never dine and dash," Tang said.

A politician said some lawmakers think they do not need to foster media relationships as long as they are hardworking.

"But they are wrong. It's better for the media to say something good about them than issuing 10 press releases praising themselves."