Legislative allies give Hong Kong chief executive an easy time after failed reform
Chief executive fields questions about public hygiene and MTR services from Beijing-friendly legislators in wake of failed government plan
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday breezed through his first legislative meeting after the collapse of electoral reform, with pro-establishment lawmakers skirting awkward queries in favour of livelihood issues such as hygiene black spots and MTR services.
The peaceful 11/2-hour question-and-answer session was suspended only once, because of a brief protest by radical pan-democrats "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung and Wong Yuk-man.
Raising the first question was Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Beijing-friendly Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who asked how the government would tackle poor street hygiene in the post-reform era.
Her question gave Leung - who campaigned in the 2012 chief executive poll with the slogan "livelihood issues are no trivial matter" - the opening to unveil plans for a citywide clean-up campaign led by Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
But Leung Kwok-hung retorted: "It is such a joke for an Executive Council member [Lee] to tell the chief executive how dirty the streets are on a day when all media headlines are focusing on the stock market crisis. Have you ever heard US President Barack Obama being told by a cabinet member there's a cockroach on New York's metro?"
The service standards of the MTR Corporation were also raised at the Legislative Council session, when the DAB's Leung Che-cheung asked if the government would urge the firm to make improvements.
Leung Chun-ying, reading from a script, answered that the MTR already ranked within the top three among subway operators in 16 cities in terms of service reliability and safety, according to a Community of Metros study.
But he turned curt when the Civic Party's Dennis Kwok asked if he intended to seek re-election in 2017 "for the good of Hong Kong". Kwok said the chief secretary and finance secretary were better alternatives to him.
Leung said: "Mr Kwok's question does not exist as its assumption is not in line with the Basic Law or Hong Kong's political reality of the past 18 years."
The blunt reply prompted Wong and Leung Kwok-hung to protest and the session was suspended as Beijing loyalists demanded Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing enforce the rules.
Leung Kwok-hung was expelled from the chamber, while DAB lawmaker Ann Chiang Lai-wan engaged in a shouting match with Albert Chan Wai-yip of People Power.
Tsang reminded lawmakers that residents were watching them on air. "Do you think Hong Kong people haven't watched enough antics by some of us?"
