Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and Liaison Office slam Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers for not taking their oath seriously
- Beijing agencies slam opposition lawmakers’ filibustering tactics as ‘dirty tricks’
- Liaison office says 14 bills and more than 80 subsidiary pieces of legislation held up as wait drags on
Beijing has escalated its war of words with Hong Kong’s opposition lawmakers, accusing them of blocking and disrupting legislative proceedings with an “if we burn, you burn with us” mentality reflected in a popular slogan of last year’s anti-government protest movement.
In a strongly worded statement, the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) blamed filibustering by pan-democrat lawmakers for the Legislative Council House Committee’s failure to elect a chairman since last October, condemning them for delaying work involving economic and livelihood issues.
“Some opposition lawmakers who damage the public interest for the sake of political self-interest have adopted dirty tricks to paralyse the operation of the legislative body,” the office said on Monday.
“One can’t help thinking their behaviour amounts to a breach of the [Legislative Council] oath, and constitutes an offence of misconduct in public office.”
I’d like to remind the [central government] agencies that under the one country, two systems policy, no mainland units can interfere with Hong Kong’s internal affairs
The delay in naming a chairman, abetted by lengthy speeches from opposition lawmakers, has seen scores of pieces of legislation trapped in committee and unable to make their way to the Legco floor for a vote.