New code of conduct for lawmakers to introduce meeting attendance requirements, tougher penalties
Eighty-eight lawmakers on Thursday voted for two motions by legislator Paul Tse aimed at enhancing the Legislative Council (LegCo)'s operations. It came a day after they also unanimously passed the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) (Amendment) Bill, which outlines the implementation of the code at the core of the two motions.
LegCo President Andrew Leung hailed the passages, saying they marked a 'new milestone' for the opposition-free legislature, as he led a group of veteran lawmakers to meet reporters after the vote.
'[The new code of conduct] stipulates the requirement for the behaviour and performance of lawmakers, so that there will be rules to follow for lawmakers in the new term,' Leung said in Cantonese. The code will take effect when the new LegCo term begins on January 1 next year.
Leung did not cast a vote on Thursday in keeping with the tradition of the LegCo president maintaining neutrality.
The new Code for Members of the Legislative Council states that legislators should attend meetings and 'actively and conscientiously' participate in voting.
Absence without a valid reason that causes disruption to LegCo meetings could result in a financial penalty for lawmakers, according to the new rules.
The LegCo's existing Rules of Procedure do not explicitly set out attendance requirements for lawmakers, except for mandating quorum for its general and committee meetings, in which a minimum number of lawmakers must be present for the meeting to begin.
The new code also requires lawmakers to 'sincerely support' the chief executive and the government. It says they should not 'deliberately undermine or weaken the effectiveness of executive-led governance.'
Lawmakers must adhere to strict rules when declaring their interests, including those related to employment, election donations, sponsorships and gifts, the code stipulates.
As part of the changes, the Committee on Members' Interests will be empowered to investigate complaints against lawmakers and recommend sanctions. The committee will be renamed the 'Legislative Council Supervisory Committee.'
Misconduct under the new code could be met with sanctions ranging from a written warning to suspension of duties.
A suspended lawmaker will not receive pay and allowance, including end-of-service gratuity, during the period of suspension.
During the meeting on Thursday, lawmaker Tse, who also chairs LegCo's Committee on Rules of Procedure, described enacting the new code of conduct as a means of 'mending the fold after a sheep is lost,' using a common Chinese idiom.
'Although the current [LegCo] term has been more efficient than previous terms… we still hope to further regulate the work of lawmakers,' Tse said in Cantonese.
Beijing overhauled Hong Kong's LegCo elections in 2021 to ensure only 'patriots' hold office. The move reduced democratic representation in the legislature, tightened control of elections and introduced a pro-Beijing panel to vet candidates.
Most of the city's opposition politicians have either been jailed, left Hong Kong, or quit politics after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 following large-scale pro-democracy protests and unrest.
The current Legislative Council term began in 2022 and will finish at the end of the year. Elections are scheduled for December.
Leung said the new rules would not deter potential candidates from running in the LegCo elections.
Martin Liao, a veteran lawmaker, said it would be 'fair' for the candidates to understand society's expectations for a lawmaker before running for a seat.
'I think the legislators in the next term are expected to comply with the [new] rules of procedures just inasmuch as we are expected to comply with our current rules of procedures,' Liao added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
5 hours ago
- HKFP
Performance artist calls out lawmakers for ‘homophobic slurs,' says LGBTQ community ‘not something to fear'
A Hong Kong performance artist has called lawmakers' discussion of the government's same-sex partnership bill 'homophobic,' saying that the LGBTQ community is not something people should fear. Holok Chen and an activist who asked not to be named staged a performance and spoke to reporters outside the Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry in Central on Monday. Both were dressed as monsters, with Chen donning a wedding gown and the activist wearing a tuxedo. Chen said their costumes symbolised the way lawmakers had 'demonised' the LGBTQ community in their discussion of the government's proposed framework for recognising same-sex partnerships. 'It feels almost [as if] I'm talking to my father when I'm reading all those reports from the [Legislative] Council, how they use homophobic slurs… saying that we might harm children and women,' Chen told HKFP. Referring to their costumes, Chen added: 'I want to create a speculative future where monsters, even monsters of different taxonomy, can live, can love, can kiss and can enjoy their divine union.' The government's proposal is currently going through the Legislative Council (LegCo). Since an electoral overhaul in 2021 that required lawmakers to be 'patriots,' the council has been left without an opposition. However, all but one major political party in the Legislative Council has said that they oppose the bill, which proposes allowing couples who married or formed a union overseas to be recognised as a partnership in Hong Kong. Most parties say such a framework threatens traditional family values and could pave the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage, something the government has denied. Earlier this month, lawmaker Holden Chow said in a LegCo meeting that the framework could encourage 'two fathers' and 'two mothers' to adopt children. 'How can we educate the next generation to uphold family values and the traditional institution of marriage between a man and a woman under such circumstances?' he said in Cantonese. Another lawmaker, Priscilla Leung, warned that the proposal would open 'a Pandora's box.' Chen staged a performance outside the LegCo building on Friday, wearing a rainbow-coloured cape and carrying a 'Pandora's box,' plastered with words like 'love and 'hope,' in an apparent protest against Leung's remark. Chen, who identifies as a non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, said they wanted to use the performance to 'recontextualise our existence: that we are not something that you have to fear, not something that you have to gatekeep.' A dozen police officers watched as the artist and the activist staged their performance, unfurling a white banner that said 'Queertopia.' The officers also asked the pair for their ID cards and cordoned them off from reporters with orange tape before the performance began. 'Toxic' The government unveiled its proposal earlier this month, three months before the deadline to establish a framework for recognising same-sex partnerships, following a top court ruling in 2023 that found the lack of such a mechanism unconstitutional. The case stemmed from a judicial review by pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham, who married his partner in New York in 2013 and challenged local authorities' lack of recognition of their union. The top court gave the government two years – until October 27 this year – to fulfil the obligation ordered by the court. Ahead of submitting the proposed framework to the Legislative Council earlier this month, the government did not hold any public consultations despite LGBTQ advocacy groups' efforts to reach out to the authorities. No public hearings, where members of the public present their views to officials in LegCo meetings, will be held. There is only a five-day window to send written submissions, which ends at 5pm on Tuesday. Chen said they had few expectations for the framework, which activists have criticised as being limited and offering only protection in the areas of medical issues and after-death arrangements. The artist criticised that the government had two years to work on the framework, but it did not consult the LGBTQ community in the process and only introduced the bill to the legislature in recent weeks. While heterosexual couples have a 'guaranteed house,' the framework offers same-sex couples only a 'tin board,' Chen said. '[The government says] You can build your own house, but I won't even provide a sofa or a place for you to stand on,' they added. 'There are many voices that want to even vote down this tin house.' Earlier on Monday, the Legislative Council's Bills Committee on the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill, with lawmakers asking officials questions on matters such as issuing registration certificates and how partnerships can be nullified. Chen said they had not paid too much attention to what lawmakers had been saying in the meetings, calling them 'toxic.' 'They do not take up space [in my head],' Chen said in Cantonese. 'Why should I give them space to harm me?' Online petition Chen called on LGBTQ supporters to join an online petition initiated by Sham, which invites people to send in written submissions using a template. The LegCo website, which publishes the written submissions, however, has not been updated since last week. Regina Ip, the only lawmaker on the bills committee who supports the framework, asked committee chair Brave Chan if all submissions received would be viewable online. Chan said yes, except for submissions for which anonymity was requested. Following the completion of the discussion in the committee on Monday, the bill will move to the council meeting for a debate, in which all 89 lawmakers will take part before voting. No date has been set yet for the debate. The Legislative Council will take a summer break in August before resuming in September.
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong lawmakers finish scrutinising same-sex couples bill clauses in 2 days
Hong Kong lawmakers have taken two days to complete a clause-by-clause examination of a bill to recognise certain rights for same-sex couples, despite strong opposition in the city's legislature. Legislators raised 33 questions during two bills committee meetings on Monday, with their concerns including criminal offences associated with the proposed registration regime for same-sex couples. Twenty-eight questions were raised when the bill was first discussed on Friday. The Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill is the government's answer to a 2023 ruling from the Court of Final Appeal that gave authorities two years to draw up laws setting out 'core rights' for same-sex couples, but did not outline what they might be. A source earlier told the Post that the government would apply to the court for an extension in fulfilling the ruling, as its deadline of October 27 was drawing near. Lawmaker Chan Yung said the bills committee that he chaired would report to the Legislative Council's House Committee to propose a date for resuming the second reading.
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
CE gathers views for his Policy Address in Hung Hom
CE gathers views for his Policy Address in Hung Hom Chief Executive John Lee was attending a meeting in Hung Hom to gather views for his upcoming policy blueprint. Photo courtesy of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit Shoring up support for Hong Kong's ethnic minority population and boosting the fertility rate were among a number of appeals to Chief Executive John Lee as he attended a meeting in Hung Hom on Sunday to gather views for his upcoming policy blueprint. Dozens among the more than 100 people attending put forward their suggestions and concerns in the two-hour televised forum, including a kindergarten teacher representing ethnic minorities who called for better learning and career opportunities for the population. "How would the government help ethnic minority families and their next generation for them to have a fairer and more equal learning environment, while providing them with appropriate support both inside and outside of school?" she asked. In response, the city's leader said his administration is working to build a more inclusive community. "I understand very well that we need to provide support for them in many aspects, such as language, especially Cantonese and learning Chinese. Every year, the Education Bureau has a number of subsidies and measures [on that front]," Lee said. "There are also care teams dedicated to ethnic minorities to better understand their culture and background." Some other issues covered focused on addressing the city's low birth rate and assisting young people. The Chief Executive said the government had rolled out a number of measures to encourage childbirth, such as a HK$20,000 handout and tax reduction. Lee was also urged to roll out support measures for the elderly, provide resources to the arts, and provide more funding for the development of innovation and technology. "When formulating policies, the government has to take care of things on both the macro and micro levels. On the macro level, we need to make the pie bigger. When the pie is bigger, everyone benefits from it. It's equally important to ensure each person has a larger share of the pie," he said. Lee will hold another town hall meeting next week, before delivering his fourth annual Policy Address in September.
