Legco president Jasper Tsang refuses to quit as leaked reform vote WhatsApp chat emerges
Revelation that Legco chief discussed strategy during historic vote in WhatsApp texts heaps more embarrassment on pro-Beijing lawmakers
A new bout of bitter infighting among Hong Kong's pro-establishment lawmakers left their camp in shambles yesterday over leaked WhatsApp messages involving the legislature's president during last week's historic electoral reform vote.
The disarray came despite Beijing's recent push to stop the bickering and ensure they present a united front against a resurgent pan-democratic camp, which not only succeeded in blocking the passage of the electoral blueprint but was boosted by a bungled walkout by their pro-establishment rivals.
And the news broke hours ahead of last night's crunch meeting between pro-establishment lawmakers and liaison office officials, widely seen as a post-mortem on the reform vote.
The cause of the latest friction is a series of WhatsApp messages first published yesterday by the Chinese-language Oriental Daily newspaper and later confirmed by pro-establishment lawmakers, showing Legco President Jasper Tsang Yok-sing discussing strategy with the government's allies in the chamber last Thursday.
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| The WhatsApp messages were first published in Oriental Daily and later confirmed by pro-establishment lawmakers. |
The exposé sparked a witch-hunt within the camp for the whistleblower, who is believed to have spilled the beans to prove members were not properly informed about the need to wait for rural kingpin Lau Wong-fat to arrive at Legco to cast his vote - the reason cited by those who led the walkout. The text messages made no mention of Lau.