Legco 'becoming more like NPC'

Michael Shum

The Legislative Council has undergone a significant transformation from a British Westminster-style parliamentary system to that of the National People's Congress, according to Election Committee representative Paul Tse Wai-chun.

He was expressing concern about a lack of debate and the emergence of an echo chamber in Legco that has led to "blind spots" in government policies.

Tse has faced criticism from Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu for saying Hong Kong is giving an impression that its policies take into consideration the views of mainlanders, who air them on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu and do not contribute to SAR's coffers, more than those of taxpayers here.

For Tse, Legco is still attempting to strike a balance.

With 16 years of legislative experience, Tse is the only member who has got into Legco through all three functional, geographical and Election Committee constituencies.

"Meetings used to have more debates and interactions, resembling the Westminster style," he said, adding that those exchanges came "without any intention to offend anyone, including lawmakers themselves."

Tse acknowledged the changing nature of Legco, saying "it has now adopted the NPC mode."

While he did not explicitly label it as good or bad, Tse said he was "nostalgic for the previous system, which I, as a lawmaker accustomed to engaging in robust debates within the chamber, find more enjoyable."

Tse said he does not support physical confrontations in Legco but emphasized that it is undergoing a process of change.

As a lawyer, he firmly believes truth can only be ascertained through debate, and the clash of opposing viewpoints is essential to understand different perspectives.

"The current legislature fails to elicit opposing opinions, leading to blind spots and flaws in the overall landscape and understanding of incidents," he said.

Tse stressed the importance of diversity in voices within Legco and expressed concern that many of his colleagues lacked political experience and might have been handpicked by Beijing.

"Lawmakers now tend to unanimously praise bills and vote in favor, resulting in an overwhelming unity of voices," Tse said.

He observed a dearth of challenges and procedural questions, as well as a general reluctance to question Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen.

Tse also detected a change in Leung, saying the Legco chief used to experience anxiety before meetings due to the uncertain nature discussions could take, whereas now he was more at ease.

However, Tse questioned whether this change represents an improvement.

On Lee's recent criticism, he said Lee's move up from being a police officer to being a politician has made it "harder for him to accept criticism."

"His [Lee's] experience as a politician is far less than his experience as a police officer. Police officers can be angry while being lashed at, but as politicians, even if we are scolded right in our faces, we will thank them for their opinions, we are used to it," Tse said.

He urged Lee to learn from Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and cautioned against Hong Kong assuming the role of being Beijing's "fierce dog."