MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): Mr Charles Peter MOK has spent several minutes criticizing my comments about Dr LEUNG Ka-lau, a good friend of mine. Yesterday, I said that Dr LEUNG’s low attendance rate had tarnished the image of Functional Constituency (FC) Members in the community. This is a known fact frequently reported by newspapers and for that, Dr LEUNG has also explained his reasons. Mr Charles Peter MOK does not need to worry about my relations with Dr LEUNG. I asked Dr LEUNG just now and he answered me that our relations remained unchanged. Hence, I would like to ask Mr Charles Peter MOK to stop piggybacking on that further. Mr Charles Peter MOK said he dared not make friends with me. He has no need to worry for I will never be friends with him (laughter) because throughout the process during the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Bureau and the scrutiny of the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014, his performance was appalling, which fully demonstrated his hypocrisy, multiple standards, lack of a spine and shoulders, constant piggybacking on others, wavering position, as well as his attitude of constantly taking U-turns and shifting positions. With so many shortcomings, he has definitely fallen short of my requirements for a friend. Honourable Members, if you have this kind of friends, you need to sever your friendship with them as soon as possible. Of course, I hope that Mr MOK can repent. Even if he does not repent, he should stop stirring up conflicts among other people, do more good deeds, and stop criticizing and shifting the blame on others due to his lack of class.
Owing to filibustering by Members in the Finance Committee meetings, in the end the Finance Committee was unable to vote on five agenda items which had been discussed by the Public Works Subcommittee and the Establishment Subcommittee for over 20 hours. They were wasting the Council’s time. As the public are paying their salaries and expenses, have they ever apologized to the public?
I think that Members from the opposition camp are hypocrites and they have double standards. They always claim to be standing on the side of the egg. They are jubilant and passionate when they say it but look at what they are doing now. Who are the eggs they refer to, the victims of medical blunders or the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK)? The Government merely wishes to make minimal changes to the MCHK to enable it to handle complaints more fairly and efficiently, but only to meet the response of filibustering by most opposition Members in various direct or indirect ways. As I have said, these changes only scratch the surface. Even that is not allowed? Why are they so anxious about protecting such hegemony? Where is their sense of justice? Where is their conscience? Now that they even bully the victims of medical blunders, how can they be qualified to talk about virtue and morality? There are already over 900 unsolved cases, and they should try to feel how the victims’ families feel. Do they still have conscience?
The most exasperating point is that the opposition camp always accuses us for not usually staying in the Chamber and lays all the blame on the pro-establishment Members. When the summoning bell rings, we all run to the Chamber and everyone can see the pro-establishment Members rush to the Chamber. On the contrary, many opposition Members just loiter around. They take the same lift but go to all other floors than the first floor, adamantly staying away from the Chamber. I cannot help wondering why these no-shows can get paid and they have been acting like this for several months, starting from the scrutiny of Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2014, then the Appropriation Bill 2016, till now. Are they treating the public fairly? Can they answer to their own conscience?
Frankly speaking, at this point in time, even if we insist on discussing the Private Columbaria Bill now, it is impossible for us to have a clear discussion. With so many amendments, how can we discuss clearly, let alone the Fire Services (Amendment) Bill 2015? Therefore, I ask them to take off their pious mask and come back to the Chamber. There is only one person in the Chamber at present. In the face of their filibusters, the Government kept conceding in the past but what has it got in return? Only more filibusters staged in a more organized and systematic manner. I think that it is time the Government stood firm and refused to give in to these threats in the hope of passing two Bills within a short time, as that will in effect encourage the filibusters which will cause irreparable harm to its governance in the long run. (Some Members tapped the benches) Therefore, it is understandable when the Government stands firm.
We discussed the Private Columbaria Bill for two years and have reached a number of consensuses. These efforts will not be wasted. I believe that the Bill will be passed quickly in the new term of the Legislative Council. However, in respect of the reform of the MCHK, the public opinion is unanimous, but some people just ignore it and think that the reform should be more extensive. I also hope that the Government will take heed of public aspirations. I oppose the motion to call for the adjournment of the Committee stage because I think the more the truth is debated, the clearer it becomes. I also agree with Miss CHAN Yuen-han that we should just do our best to achieve as much as we can, so that the public can see the efforts of the pro-establishment Members. Only through a thorough debate can we make our points clear.
Finally, this may be my last chance to speak in this Council in these four years. I have to give my heart-felt gratitude to the colleagues of the pro-establishment camp who have held fast to their position in the Legislative Council and put up with the ridicule of such despicable people as Mr Charles Peter MOK and the like who do not show up at the meetings. Some Members have said they would stop speaking after the adjournment of the meeting and I once fell for this kind of lies. Someone said the same to me in the Finance Committee. Nevertheless, while this pan-democratic Member might have given you his promise, two or three other pan-democratic Members could make you very miserable. Hence, I advise everyone to avoid falling for their trap like I did. I was too naïve. Everyone must avoid being tricked at all costs. I trusted the wrong person in the Finance Committee and fell for his trick. I hope that Members from the opposition camp will stop pretending to be charitable and just. If they truly care about the people, they should come back to the Chamber (Some Members said “yes” loudly) and do what they have not done in the past few months, otherwise they should not get their salary.
I find it such a pity that in the end the Legislative Council, just like the Finance Committee, is unable to finish the legislative procedure of a few important bills. I really feel that we have not lived up to Hong Kong people’s expectation. However, I hope that Hong Kong people can understand the pro-establishment Members’ helplessness because we can do nothing to stop the summoning bell being rung. Like the President of the Legislative Council, I must hold fast to the principle, no matter how unreasonable or untimely the Rules of Procedure are. Being in the post of the Chairman of the Finance Committee, I could not digress from those Rules. That was why everyone could see no matter how unwilling I was, I had to allow them to move the motion to call for the adjournment of the meeting and then the motion to call for the suspension of the meeting, at the same time putting up with their mocking faces, seeing that they were lying to the people and insulting the people’s intelligence, but the people’s votes had allowed them to do so.
May I call upon the people of Hong Kong again: if you wish to see the Legislative Council change, and Hong Kong change and move forward, you must vote for more FC Members to the Legislative Council. Allow us to try and we will not let you down. Please listen to my heartfelt remarks. You must vote for more pro-establishment Members in the direct election and more FC Members, and get back the FC seats that have fallen into the grip of the opposition camp. Only by doing so can we ensure Hong Kong’s future. No matter how hard other people berate me today, I do not feel I am wrong in saying this. It is only that the harder I berate them, the harder they will answer back. I can foresee that many people will come back to berate me. However, I wholeheartedly … I put my hand here. I say this with all my heart that every word I say today is true.
Thank you, everyone.