Planning to vote on railway funding no later than Saturday

HONG KONG: The Legislative Council Finance Committee hopes to resolve the wrangle over the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link project by putting the funding to vote by lunch time Saturday. The committee has scheduled 10 hours of additional meetings over two days to clear up the issue.

If the Finance Committee is unable to resolve the matter by Saturday lunch time, the meeting may be extended or yet another date may be set.

Funding for the HK$66.9 billion express rail link stalled after marathon meetings were held December 18, and January 8.

Seeing potential for another stalemate, Secretary for Transport and Housing Eva Cheng proposed that Finance Committee chairman Emily Lau resume the meeting Friday over four sessions of two hours each, followed by additional meetings Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 9 pm.

At Lau's request, the Legislative Council Secretariat consulted political parties and individual lawmakers on the scope of questions they would like to ask.

After their views are summarized, the secretariat estimated about 7.5 hours are needed. Adding a contingency of two hours, no more than 10 hours will be likely to be required.

In this context, Lau has decided that three sessions will he held on Friday, and two sessions the following day.

"Ten hours will be quite sufficient time," she told a press conference. "At a certain point on Saturday, I will ask members if they have any further questions. I will then draw a line and put the matter to a vote after all questions are answered."

Lawmaker Albert Chan from the League of Social Democrats (LSD) has declared his intention to raise 31 motions aimed at delaying the voting process. Lau said Chan could move his motions one by one and speak briefly on each. As to lawmakers who wish to move no-confidence in her "inability to chair the meeting", Lau said she respected their rights but the process must comply with the Rules of Procedure.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, Liberal Party and Democratic Party all said they are satisfied with the arrangement, saying that the funding process should not be delayed further. But the LSD objected, saying its members need more time to ask questions about this expensive project.

Meanwhile, several Executive Councillors highlighted the importance of the express rail link and said it should no longer be delayed.

"The government will endeavor to answer all the technical questions, but the questions and answers should not last indefinitely," Executive Council Convener Leung Chun-ying said. Being a city of China, Hong Kong will achieve nothing but to give up the opportunity for economic development if it does not link up with the national express rail links network as soon as possible, he said.

Fellow ExCo member Ronald Arculli said the express rail link is a better mode of transport for passengers and cargoes than aircraft, buses and cars in terms of speed, price and environmental protection.

Another ExCo member Anthony Cheung said the project has been under discussion for a long time and the dispute should not continue indefinitely.

They also noted society had diverse views when the mass transit railway system and the new airport were built, but time has proved the decisions made at that time were the right ones.

(HK Edition 01/13/2010 page1)