Hong Kong lawmaker Ronny Tong frustrated that fellow pan-democrats 'trying to win over everyone'

In 2012, Ronny Tong Ka-wah proposed an amendment to a copyright bill on behalf of the pan-democrats in an attempt to reduce the chances of satirists falling foul of the new laws for making parodies.

But his effort were attacked by internet users who accused him of backing the government's plan to beef up copyright protection in a way they said would stifle the creators of parodies. None of Tong's Civic Party colleagues stood up for him amid the storm, instead favouring much wider protection for parody.

Two years later, Tong put forward a moderate plan for the 2017 chief executive election which did not allow voters to nominate hopefuls. Again, he got the cold shoulder from his allies.

From the copyright controversy to the polarising electoral reform hullabaloo, Tong's experiences demonstrate the difficulties of a middle-of-the-road approach in Hong Kong.

Tong, who in a dramatic gesture quit the party he co-founded nine years ago and resigned as a lawmaker last week in the wake of the reform plan's failure, conceded his departure had to a certain extent proved the failure of the moderate approach.