Democrats’ leader Wu Chi-wai is digging party’s own grave
His hare-brained ideas, including an amnesty for everyone charged or jailed over Occupy protests, have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum
His latest hare-brained idea was to call on chief executive-elect Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to use her powers under the Basic Law to pardon Occupy participants who have been charged or jailed, including the seven police officers imprisoned for assaulting activist Ken Tsang Kin-chiu and former superintendent Chu King-wai, who is facing trial for assault.
Wu had to retract his proposal and apologised in less than a day. His motive, he said, was to help with reconciliation between the opposing camps. What he did manage was to upset everyone from across the political spectrum. The blue- and yellow-ribbon factions would rather see punishment for those from the other side than pardon for their own.
It’s also clear there is not an overwhelming public interest to be served in interfering with the work of the courts by granting a general amnesty – quite the contrary.
The Democratic Party has always been among the more reasonable and moderate of the pan-democrats. It would be a shame to see it fade away under poor leadership.