Hong Kong Legco rule change floated in attack on filibustering
Proposals include mechanism for time limits on particular debates
Lawmakers on Wednesday proposed three changes to the Legislative Council rule book in a bid to curb the marathon filibusters which have recently soured the chamber’s relationship with the government.
The pro-democracy camp has been using Legco rules to drag out debates on controversial government bills and cash requests.
This has included submitting piles of amendments, asking for quorum counts and making multiple speeches during debates.
In a Legco paper released on Wednesday, the Committee on Rules of Procedure called on members to give their views on three proposed procedures by next Wednesday.
The changes included a mechanism to apply a time limit to a particular debate. To protect minority members’ right to speak, the committee proposed any motion applying such a limit should require a high threshold, such as a two-thirds majority vote of the House Committee.
The committee also proposed giving the Legco president the power to select amendments for debate after considering factors such as whether they serve merely to “prolong the proceedings unnecessarily”.