My Take | James Tien adds insult to injury over call for Leung Chun-ying to resign

The punishment came swiftly. Just last weekend, James Tien Pei-chun joined the pan-democratic and Occupy choruses calling on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to resign. Instead, it was Tien who had to resign yesterday as Liberal Party leader after his membership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference was rescinded. One of the city's most senior public figures has been stripped of two major political posts faster than you can say Occupy Central.

Beijing's top advisory body had already expressed its resolute support for Leung. Tien, perhaps thinking he could get away with it a second time, thought he could sing a different tune. He was tempting fate. No doubt the mainland honchos at the august body thought he needed to be taught a prompt lesson on the true meaning of a united front.

In 2003, Tien became something of a folk hero after becoming the first pro-establishment figure to break ranks with the administration of then chief executive Tung Chee-hwa over the latter's failed attempt to legislate an anti-sedition law under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

With Tien, you are never sure whether he acts out of principle or populist politics. It didn't help matters yesterday that he said he made "the mistake" of not remembering his CPPCC membership when he called for Leung's resignation.

"Over the years I have been in Legco, I only remember that I am a lawmaker, and the Liberal Party's leader, and I omitted my role as a CPPCC delegate," he said yesterday. "I was aware that I was a CPPCC delegate when I was having meetings in Beijing. This might be what I have done wrong."

Now that's some apology - to say his post as a CPPCC delegate was so unmemorable he forgot about it. Somehow I don't think that would assuage the mainland. To add insult to injury, Tien "clarified" that he didn't mean to ask Leung to resign for doing anything wrong, only that he might consider it because he had been having difficulty governing.