The pro-establishment side is to allow the pan-democrats to have five committee chairmanships in the upcoming Legislative Council, according to local media. The pan-democrats would be able to take the chair in panels related to information technology, housing, as well as food safety and environmental hygiene.
Traditionally, if a pro-establishment lawmaker heads a panel under the Legislative Council, a pro-democracy lawmaker will become the vice-chair of the panel, and vice-versa. This, however, did not happen in the last legislative term.
Six pro-establishment parties, including the DAB, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, New People’s Party, Liberal Party and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, met on Thursday to coordinate their choices for chairmanship in the committees and panels.
Pro-establishment parties reportedly agreed to allow Professional Commons’ Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong, the representative of the accountancy constituency, take the position of the Financial Committee deputy chairman. The Civic Party’s Dennis Kwok Wing-hang will also be able to take the position of deputy chairman of the House Committee.
Leung told HKFP that he could not verify whether it was true, but “we are internally deciding three lawmakers… [for] House Committee and Finance Committee. We will send people for election. James To will run for the House Committee chairman and I will run for the chairman of the Finance Committee.”
He also said that they will run for the deputy chairman position if they do not get the positions.
The lawmaker-elect said that they have not discussed with the pro-establishment side as to how to split up the positions as of yet, but he “hoped that everyone is open and transparent when talking about the allocation rather than having to fight for it…”
Leung said that the chairperson and vice chairperson usually discuss with each other the operations within a committee or panel, but the chairperson will be the one in charge most of the time. He said that the he hoped that the pro-establishment and opposition sides could take turns being the chairman of a panel or committee each year.
