LegCo panel chair vows to tackle recession

HK legislature urged to deliberate bills on pandemic relief to restart economy

The newly elected chairman of the Legislative Council Finance Committee vowed on Friday to work with the government to tackle Hong Kong's economic recession.

Chan Kin-por, who was elected chairman of the LegCo Finance Committee on Friday, said the committee will support the special administrative region government's efforts to restart the economy in the new legislative year.

The Finance Committee has approved three rounds of subsidies for pandemic-hit industries since February. However, Chan said, it is more important to restore exchanges between Hong Kong and the outside world, especially the Chinese mainland, so that all walks of life, especially those related to tourism, retail, and intercity transportation, can resume their business in earnest.

The Finance Committee will also consider funding for largescale virus testing and for vaccines, he said.

Chan also said that the opposition camp's obstruction of LegCo operations is visibly toned down compared with last year. He attributed the change to the new National Security Law, which deterred opposition lawmakers from using physical confrontation to derail meetings.

Writing in Chinese-language Bauhinia Magazine, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said he hopes that LegCo will function as a place where the government can have rational discussions with lawmakers and various sectors of society as it works on pandemic control and social unity.

Also on Friday, Starry Lee Waiking and Ma Fung-kwok were elected chairman and deputy chairman respectively of the Legislative Council House Committee, while Chan Chun-ying was elected deputy chairman of the Finance Committee.

Tang Tak-shing, chairman of political group Politihk Social Strategic, welcomed the “relatively smooth” elections. He said he hopes that LegCo committees can function efficiently in the coming year and “make up for the time wasted in the past year”.

Tang said, for example, the Financial Committee should grant funding to the government's Lantau Tomorrow Vision reclamation project for it to begin consultation and research. The project may take more than 10 years to complete but has been shelved for nearly two years, which is not provident for the next generation, he said.

Tsang Yuk-on, a resident of Sha Tau Kok in the New Territories, hopes that the legislature can thoroughly deliberate the use of public finance to facilitate government initiatives to build a more diverse economy and create jobs for young people.

A local taxi driver, Tso Tatming, said he hopes opposition lawmakers will be more cooperative with the government's pandemic control measures.

Less than a quarter of Hong Kong people took part in the universal testing program in September due to the opposition camp's appalling smears of the program, he said, adding that Hong Kong has “squandered its best chance” to contain the outbreak in the community in a timely manner.

Sixty-two legislators remained in LegCo to serve their extended term for at least a year after the seventh LegCo election was postponed due to the pandemic.