Time for Hong Kong's pan-democrats to see the sense of compromise

As Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor unveiled the government's political reform blueprint, pan-democratic lawmakers staged a walkout, on cue, all donning a black T-shirt with a yellow cross on it to show their uncompromising stance. This hardline approach to showing their disapproval came on top of their "one press conference every three days, one petition every five days" campaign.

And there's a reason the pan-democrats have been digging their heels in, according to the political grapevine: they believe they are doomed whether they approve the proposal or veto it, so they may as well stick with the latter and wait and see.

There are two types of pan-democrat: the extreme and the relatively mild. The former have evolved into a group that locks horns with the government, regardless of the cause, and the political reform proposal is no exception.

The latter, however, tend to tentatively accept the proposal as they reckon there is the potential for Hong Kong's democratic development to take a major step forward.

And that is precisely why the pan-democrats are facing a war at both the front and back: they will be stabbed in the front by radical die-hard supporters if they approve the proposal, or stabbed in the back by the mild centrists if they veto it.

Yet the time seems to have come for those with relatively mild views to speak up and switch their stance, after sitting on the fence for so long. However, even if they do so, it's still anyone's guess whether this faction, plus the weight of public opinion, could defeat the die-hard, extremist forces in the end.

While most of the content of the government's reform blueprint was pretty much as expected, the fact that nomination committee members will be allowed to have more than two votes under a secret ballot mechanism at the final nomination stage will dramatically increase the chances of a pan-democratic candidate, in particular one with a milder political stance, being elected.