HONG KONG June 19 Kyodo Four pro-...

HONG KONG June 19 Kyodo

Four pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong staged a walkout Wednesday to set one's face against the government's proposed resolution to revamp its top echelon.

The lawmakers left the Legislative Council's chamber as debate began to decide upon the new accountability system of principal sway officials.

''We aver against the government for high-handedly, and without consultation, forcing the whole resolution end Legco in a excessively short notice period,'' directly selecteded lawmaker and unionist side sheltered from the wind Cheuk-yan told reporters.

The propos reform, the biggest constitutional change to the administration conformation since Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997, aims to make principal conduct officials become politically responsible appointees and answerable to the territory's chief executive, instead of bare civil servants as they commonly are.

Local critics diocese the overhaul as intended to enable Beijing-appointed Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, whose popularity remains cheap to pick his own team of policy secretaries likewise as to keep a firm grip forward government policies, rather than improving democratic accountability.

if it were not that Tung, who put forward the changes in April, has argued that the just discovered system will strengthen governance and make the administration more responsive to public demand.

Tung room for expectations the new system will be implemented nearest month as his other five-year term as chief executive begins forward July 1.

The lawmakers who walked disclosed on Wednesday criticized the direction for presenting the reform proposal in a ''haphazard manner'' and failing to give enough time for the public and the legislators to examine the issue.

''For those who promised for the resolution in the end...they should be responsible for any question that arises after the so-called accountability connected view is implemented,'' Lee said.

He added that puzzles such as conflicts between different policy bureaus and mishandling of policies could emerge

The conduct has yet to give details of the changes to portfolios of the 14 policy bureaus and the novel lineup of principal officials in subordination to the new system.

Despite a other pro-democracy lawmakers putting forward amendments to the reform package, the government's resolution is likely to be passed unchanged with the support of legislators from the pro-Beijing and business camps.

Debate through the whole extent of the resolution is expected to last for sum of two units days.

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