‘We’re sorry’: Hong Kong pro-establishment lawmakers apologise for reform vote walkout
Thirty-three pro-establishment lawmakers took out a half-page advertisement in Chinese-language newspapers to apologise for their walkout from the key vote on the political reform package.
Thirty-three pro-establishment lawmakers took out a half-page advertisement in Chinese-language newspapers this morning to apologise for their walkout from the Legislative Council’s key vote on the political reform package yesterday.
In an apparent move of damage control, the ad also omitted any mention of eight pro-establishment lawmakers’ decision to ignore their allies’ walkout, and explained that it was a failure to “handle the timing accurately” that was to blame.
Liberal Party chairman Felix Chung Kwok-pan, one of the eight, had said it was wrong for his pro-establishment allies to suggest it was “unfortunate” that the eight lawmakers did not leave the chamber and postpone the vote for 15 minutes.
The advertisement, titled “Pro-establishment lawmakers strongly reprimand the opposition lawmakers for voting down the political reform proposal”, was published in at least seven newspapers including the pro-Beijing and , business paper the , plus and .
It largely repeated the group’s joint statement read out by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong’s former chairman Tam Yiu-chung yesterday, who explained that the 31 “walked out of the chamber … hoping to buy time for [lawmaker] Lau [Wong-fat] to make it for the vote.”
But apparently to avoid further disagreement within the camp, the statement no longer mentioned that eight “pro-establishment lawmakers did not leave their seat immediately because of the short notice given”, but instead only explained that the 33 who did not vote did so because “we did not handle the timing accurately”.
“We deeply regret the mistaken we made, and we are deeply apologetic to the vast majority of residents who has been supporting the reform proposal all along,” it added.
The 33 included the 31 who walked out, Lau, who was late, and Poon Siu-ping, who stayed in the chamber but did not vote.
READ MORE: Hong Kong pro-Beijing politicians rue their missed opportunity in political reform debate
Meanwhile, the Civic Party’s Ronny Tong Ka-wah, told RTHK the walkout was “unimaginable” to him and expected pan-democrats would exploit the fiasco to “sneer [at] and criticise” the pro-establishment camp.
“The pro-establishment [camp] will also think of every means to hit them back. I am worried this would hinder both sides from mending their ties,” he said.
Tong also believed the walkout would undermine the image of lawmakers. “Hongkongers have thought legislators have not been doing their job properly. Their disrespect of legislators might deepen due to the incident,” Tong said.
Professor Albert Chen Hung-yee, a fellow at the University of Hong Kong’s law faculty and a Basic Law Committee member, said it was disheartening to see the two-year debate on political reform end in farce.
“If it had ended up with a 41-28 vote, it was at least a proper answer to Hongkongers,” Chen said.
“Those in support of the proposal, including me, now saw the result was 8-28. We would think it did not truly reflect public opinion,” he said.
