HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen urged lawmakers across the political spectrum to be pragmatic and act in the best interest of the community shortly after the HK government disqualified four opposition LegCo members based on a decision from the country’s top legislature.

Leung told reporters he had received a letter from the HK government confirming the disqualification of the four lawmakers and said he respected the decision made by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). 

LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said it was clear now that the NPC's decision had nothing to do with filibustering tactics employed often at the LegCo

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Leung pointed out that the nomination papers of the four had been rejected earlier by returning officers for advocating separatism. 

Leung said it was clear now that the NPC's decision had nothing to do with filibustering tactics employed often at the LegCo.

In a press conference held earlier, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor Lam too refuted speculations that the government’s decision to seek an NPC decision on lawmakers’ qualifications to hold office had been in response to filibustering tactics employed at the legislature.

The government would not disqualify a lawmaker simply because of adopting parliamentary tactics, she said, stressing that lawmakers shouldn't abuse house privileges, however.

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Lam said that even if all opposition lawmakers chose to resign to protest against the NPC decision, the rest of the lawmakers would not function as a mere “rubber stamp” of the government as it was speculated, because they would still be responsible to their electorates. 

She said her government will not hold by-elections to fill the vacancies created by the opposition camp’s collective resignation in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.