Hong Kong people will be ‘shocked’ by bizarre end to reform debate: Legco president Jasper Tsang

Legislative Council president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing says Hongkongers will be “shocked” by the botched walkout by pro-establishment lawmakers that left the government’s political reform package with just eight votes of support.

But Tsang, a veteran Beijing loyalist, said the incident was no more than an “unfortunate accident”, though he urged his colleagues to “reflect” on what their responsibilities as lawmakers were.

The walkout came just one minute before Legco was to vote on the reform plan, after Tsang denied a request by Business and Professionals Alliance vice-chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung for a 15 minute suspension. Lam had wanted to delay the vote so rural strongman Lau Wong-fat, a powerful figure in the New Territories whose supporters are a key voting bloc in Legco elections, could be present for the historic resolution.

About 30 lawmakers followed Lam out, but the vote went ahead as more than half of the lawmakers remained in the chamber. The plan would have fallen anyway as more than a third of lawmakers voted no, but the one-sided result deepened embarrassment for supporters of reform.

Tsang said after the meeting that he had no option but to go ahead as “the resolution was already put to a vote”. Had lawmakers requested a suspension earlier, or if more of them had spoken to extend the debate “something like this wouldn’t happen”.

“I think it is very regrettable for this to have happened, and many people who were watching the live coverage would be shocked,” Tsang said.