Five Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers said they were robbed of their right to speak on their resignations in the legislature after pro-Beijing politicians unexpectedly walked out yesterday.
The five, who resigned on Tuesday in the hope that the resulting elections would spark a referendum on universal suffrage, were about to address the legislature when about 10 lawmakers left the meeting.
The walk-out was announced by Wong Kwok-hing (王國興) from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, which has political affiliations with Beijing.
“Wasting taxpayers’ money for the by-election. Shameful,” Wong shouted at the democrats with a thumb-down as his allies walked out of the chamber one-by-one.
The meeting had to be adjourned to next month as fewer than 30 of the 60 members remained. The resignations, which will take effect tomorrow, were aimed at drawing attention to the slow pace of democratic reforms in the territory.
Only half of Hong Kong’s 60-seat legislature is directly elected from five geographical constituencies. The remaining “functional constituency” seats are largely selected by pro-China business elite.
The democrats condemned the walk-out as “shameful and ugly” and said it was the latest of a series of tactics deployed by Beijing and pro-establishment politicians to attack their campaign.
“There has been a heavy chorus of artillery going around town these few weeks and there is a central theme to all these,” Audrey Eu (余若薇), the Civic Party leader who spoke for the five lawmakers, told a press conference convened immediately after the walk-out.
“It shows that they are afraid of people’s will. They are afraid that people will be given a right to vote in the referendum,” Eu said.
She said by walking out, their opponents had deprived the five politicians of the right to explain the grounds for their resignations. It also prevented their resignation statements from being recorded in official documents.
One of the lawmakers resigning, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄), mocked his pro-Beijing rivals for copying his tactics.
“After condemning me so many times for disrupting the meetings, they are now doing it themselves. Shame on them,” he said.
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