My Take | Hong Kong’s opposition leaders only have themselves to blame
They have used questionable tactics to such an irrational and destructive extent as to squander public goodwill, understanding and forbearance
The irony is hard to miss. The opposition is using protests, disruptions, quorum counts, filibustering and any and all delaying tactics it can come up with to stall changes to the rule book of the Legislative Council to restrict such tactics. The chaos we have just witnessed in the Legco chamber this week will only get worse.
But the opposition is just digging a bigger hole for itself – and confirming for the public that it has nothing constructive to offer other than opposing for its own sake.
Filibustering and stalling in general have a place in any legislative assembly that doesn’t want to be just a rubber stamp. But they need to be used sparingly and wisely. Unfortunately, such tactics became the weapon of first rather than last resort for opposition lawmakers during the years of the Leung Chun-ying administration, which they hated and despised to an almost hysterical level.
Opposition leaders like to claim they oppose only unjust bills and “white elephant” infrastructure projects. But, whether intentional or not, their indiscriminate, scorched-earth tactics have caused tremendous collateral damage.
In local construction, an estimated HK$180 billion of works, of which about 40 per cent is funded publicly, is needed each year to sustain a 400,000 workforce.