China News Service, Hong Kong, January 12 (Reporter Wang Jiacheng) The Committee on Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held a meeting on the 12th to discuss the "red and yellow card" mechanism to regulate the behavior of members.
Legislative Council member Leung Mei-fen, who proposed the motion, said that since joining the Legislative Council in 2008, after witnessing a member throwing the first banana in the solemn parliament, he believed that the Rules of Procedure could only expel a member from the meeting and the penalty was too light. The threshold for the removal of a member is very high, and it must be approved by two-thirds of the members present.
She therefore advocated referring to the practice of the British House of Commons, prohibiting members who have seriously violated the rules of procedure from participating in the meeting for a period of time, and deducting wages during the "suspended" period. If they repeat the offence, the "suspended" period will be longer, which is commonly known as the "red and yellow card" system. .
Leung Mei-fen pointed out that in recent years, legislators’ behaviors of interrupting meetings with physical conflicts and filth have intensified, causing the Legislative Council to report to the police from time to time. The situation is extremely unsatisfactory. She believes that the Legislative Council needs to be able to enforce the “house rules” on its own and cannot do everything. Trouble the police.
She revealed that the Rules of Procedure Committee meeting held that day reached a consensus on the introduction of this mechanism and agreed to study how to amend the law to deduct the salaries of violating members.
Leung Mei-fen hopes that the current legislative council will complete relevant amendments, so that members who deliberately undermine the process of parliament will pay the price in the future, and establish a gradual penalty ladder, increase the deterrent power of the Rules of Procedure, and return the citizens to a healthy, rational and civilized The Legislative Council.
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