The Story has not ended – Whatsapp messages of the Pro-Establishment Camp Leaked

In a failed attempt to delay the vote, a group of lawmakers from the pro-establishment camp walked out from the building right before the voting time of the electoral reform bill. In the few days after the incident, many of those lawmakers have admitted that the walkout was poorly coordinated, which caused a shocking embarrassment to both the Hong Kong and Central government. Today, Whatsapp messages of the pro-establishment camp right before the walkout leaked out, putting the President of the Legislative Council, Jasper Tsang Yok-Sing, in a difficult position.

Pro-democracy lawmakers, including Alan Leong Kah-Kit and Albert Chan Wai-Yip, doubted the impartiality of Tsang for his participation in the Whatsapp group. Jasper Tsang, in the Whatsapp conversation, described Albert Chan as a “thief”. Chan expressed discontents with the statement and demanded that Tsang should resign from the presidency.

In their open letter to Tsang, lawmakers from the pro-democracy camp demanded Tsang to strictly comply with his promise of political neutrality. They also demanded Tsang to apologize for his participation in the Whatsapp conversation, make suggestions on how to avoid making the same mistakes, and re-make his promise of political neutrality.

Tsang explained that his comment was “just a joke”, and he refused to resign. Even though Tsang emphasized that he did not, by participating in the Whatsapp conversation, breach the principle of neutrality, he apologized for his participation to both the pro-establishment and pro-democracy camps. People Power, a political party to which Albert Chan belongs, plans to initiate a motion of no confidence against Tsang. Alan Leong, the leader of the Civic Party, accepted the apology of Tsang, and commented that what is important now is to make sure that Tsang stick to the principle of political neutrality.

To the pro-establishment camp, the leak-out has shattered their confidence in further cooperation. James Tien, the Honorary Chairman of the Liberal Party, opined on his Facebook that the member who leaked the conversation was “unethical” (“沒有道義”).

In response to the leak-out, many pro-democracy lawmakers have joined Telegram, which is believed to be a more secure counterpart to Whatsapp.

It is unsure who leaked the conversation out, but it is sure that the mutual trust among the pro-establishment lawmakers and between the pro-democracy and the pro-establishment camp is immensely challenged.