Nothing has divided political allies in Hong Kong more than the bitter row within the pan-democrat camp over the government's constitutional reform package. Moderates who have supported it and radicals who remain opposed will not be easily reconciled. For the sake of progress towards universal suffrage in the future they must, sooner or later, put their differences aside and try to work together.
There is, however, one wound that cannot be healed by time alone, nor forgiven and forgotten amid the fluid alliances and compromises of politics. That can only happen if lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung apologises unequivocally, and expresses genuine remorse, for a now infamously tasteless barb directed at veteran democracy campaigner Szeto Wah, who is fighting late-stage lung cancer. If it were not already on the public record, we would hesitate to repeat here that Leung attributed Szeto's support for the government package to the spread of cancer cells to the brain. We share the dismay of political friends and foes alike that he has so far refused to recant and apologise.
Leung and his two fellow lawmakers from the League of Social Democrats have added robustness and diversity to politics and enlivened Legislative Council proceedings, to say the least. This newspaper has deplored the throwing of fruit at government officials in the chamber and the use of words like slave, spastic and running dog as personal insults. But we have acknowledged that the public elected maverick lawmakers because of their willingness to take on the authorities, and they have every right to make their views known colourfully within the boundaries of rational debate.
Leung shares credit for stimulating interest among the young in contemporary political issues where more conformist politicians have failed to connect. His grossly inappropriate remark therefore sets a shocking example. His refusal to apologise does nothing for the mutual trust and respect needed to move Hong Kong forward along the road to democracy. Until he does, he has no one but himself to blame if friend and foe alike hold their noses in his company.