Hong Kong pro-Beijing politicians rue their missed opportunity in political reform debate
Pro-Beijing politicians are left ruing their missed opportunity to put down their pan-democrat rivals as they look forward to coming Legco poll
Five minutes. That's how long it took for the pro-establishment camp's unity to crumble as its members messed up a Legislative Council walkout and descended into acrimony, pointing fingers at each other and fearing a reprimand from Beijing.
Having hoped to exploit a pan-democrat-led no vote for electoral gain, they now fear it is they who will be punished.
The final, farcical twist in the 20-month reform saga began to take shape at 12.27pm, when Legco's bell sounded, alerting lawmakers that they had five minutes to get to the chamber and vote on the government's package for the 2017 chief executive election.
As the bell rang, Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung left the chamber while talking on the phone to his Business and Professionals Alliance colleague Lau Wong-fat. The rural kingpin, whose loyal supporters provide a powerful voting bloc for the pro-establishment camp, was still en route and desperate to vote.
Lam then returned in the fourth minute of the five and rose to request a 15-minute suspension for "further discussion", a plea Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing refused.
With less than 30 seconds left, Lam and Ip Kwok-him stood up, with Ip ushering their fellow Beijing loyalists out. Most followed but, crucially, nine stayed behind - enough to ensure the legislature did not fall below its quorum, the minimum number of lawmakers who must be present for a vote.