The Legislative Council (LegCo) is expected to vote Wednesday on the 2010-11 budget, including HK$159 million to fund the May 16 LegCo by-election precipitated by the Civic Party and League of Social Democrats.

Some observers believe it may be Thursday before lawmakers get around to the vote.

Pro-establishment lawmaker Wong Kwok-hing, from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), will move to scrap the funding with intent to derail the by-election, which the opposition camp calls a "referendum" on democracy. Wong said the by-election is an unnecessary and costly waste of taxpayers' money.

Another pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), will support the motion.

Earlier, the opposition bloc had stated its intention to walk out of the chamber when Wong's motion came to a vote. Later the bloc reversed its position and said members would remain.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam says he is keeping his fingers crossed that the LegCo will approve the funding proposal.

The government would be hamstrung if the by-election funding were voted down. There is no recourse to draw from other funds to hold the by-election.

Lam declined to answer a "hypothetical question" as to whether the by-election would be cancelled if funding for the vote were rejected.

At the meeting of the Panel on Constitutional Affairs Monday, Lam reiterated that there is no such a thing as a referendum under the Basic Law, but the government does have a duty to hold the by-election to fill chamber vacancies.

China Daily

(HK Edition 04/20/2010 page1)