The political crisis triggered by the budget shows no sign of abating. Despite the government's decision to offer HK$6,000 handouts and tax rebates, an interim funding proposal was voted down in the Legislative Council. The political drama on Wednesday was led by pan-democratic legislators who abstained from voting, leading to the historic rejection of the appropriation bill. Pan-democrats literally ganged up on Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah, calling for his resignation.
But some of the blame should be put on pro-establishment lawmakers who didn't turn up to support the bill; the government was only two votes short of getting it approved.
It's true that the government's budgetary flip-flop projected a negative impression. But it was only after consultation with political parties, including democratic lawmakers, that it offered cash giveaways. Even proposals such as injecting HK$6,000 into Mandatory Provident Fund accounts were the outcome of consultation with them. It's unfair to criticise the government for making backroom deals and ignoring public opinion. The U-turn was intended to accommodate public opinion.
Unfortunately, pan-democrats' sole intention is to gain political advantage. When they met Tsang this week, they made it clear there was no room for negotiation. They demanded a restart of the Home Ownership Scheme, the setting up of a universal retirement scheme and an extra HK$20 billion for poverty relief.
They know these are long-term policy measures that have no short-term answers. So, putting them forward was a waste of time. During the meeting, they repeatedly called for Tsang's resignation; clearly, their goal was not to address urgent issues.
Their action to block funding was politically motivated because there is an intrinsic understanding that, no matter how much lawmakers disagree with the government budget, they will never block initial funding.
Meanwhile, the pro-establishment camp was just as bad. First, members failed to turn up for the vote. They should be condemned for failing in their duty to provide adequate support for government policy.