OpinionPhone-snatch row: Hong Kong lawmaker Ted Hui should have resigned to keep his dignity

Albert Cheng says the Democratic Party legislator is owed some loyalty by fellow democrats who failed to defend him from unfair criticism, but what he did was wrong and he should have taken responsibility for his rash behaviour

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Lawmaker Ted Hui has apologised for grabbing the phone of a civil servant without her consent. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 4:30pm, 3 May 2018Updated: 7:52pm, 5 May 2018

A drama staged at the Legislative Council complex recently has triggered a massive uproar. Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung snatched a civil servant’s phone inside the Legco premises ahead of a bills committee meeting. The pro-establishment camp has opened fire on Hui, seemingly bent on disqualifying another pro-democracy lawmaker, thus ending Hui’s political career.

Unexpectedly, even some stalwarts of the Democratic Party, such as former chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing, have openly condemned Hui’s reckless behaviour. Lau even questioned whether he should remain a lawmaker and a member of the party. Their criticism did not just rub salt in Hui’s wound, it also provided bullets for the pro-establishment camp to shoot him down.

With the help of government propaganda and the overwhelmingly negative media coverage, the pro-establishment camp may yet succeed in kicking Hui out of Legco.

There is no question Hui’s rash behaviour was inappropriate, and he may face criminal charges. However, under common law, he is innocent until proven otherwise.

As well, Hui should have been clearer about his reasons for taking the phone. He tried to justify his actions at first by accusing the government of invading the privacy of lawmakers, which did not make much sense to the public. He should have made clear that he had wanted to expose how the government had been interfering with the independent operation of the legislature by monitoring lawmakers’ movements.