Every year, a Catholic group that monitors legislators' performances delivers a report, measuring both the value and volume of members' work. It tabulates their attendance records and the total number of times they have voted, moved a motion, filed a question or made a speech in the council during the year.
From the data, the group then analyses each member's political stance. The process seems to focus on quantity, rather than quality.
However, this year's report concentrated on political principles and rated members according to how they had voted on the government-sponsored political reform package earlier this year.
The report named and shamed legislators from the Democratic Party who supported the reform package, saying they had abandoned their political principles, reneged on their campaign pledges and betrayed their constituents. It attacked them for doing under-the-table deals with Beijing that seriously damaged the city's high degree of autonomy and the fundamental principle of 'Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong'.
It is worth noting that despite those harsh comments, many Hongkongers support the Democrats for building an open and productive dialogue with the central government and for breaking the political deadlock, which has left Hong Kong adrift without substantial electoral advancement for years.
According to the latest opinion survey by Baptist University, for example, even though most people aged below 40 were against the Democrats' political U-turn, older respondents preferred a more conciliatory approach and agreed with their action.