Will Hong Kong’s Democrats see reason, or push the city towards futility?

Shortly after the chief executive election, Wu Chi-wai appeared on a TV talk show along with former lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah. When Tong pressed him on why his party supported John Tsang Chun-wah – given the former finance chief’s reputation for being evasive and unresponsive in debates, and that his financial policies represented everything the Democrats hated – Wu mumbled a non-answer.

Wu has flat out rejected any compromise with incoming chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, until she can deliver on his view of political reform. That means five more years of destructive politics, as his party exists to frustrate, delay and derail any government initiatives on livelihood issues. Wu is asking for the impossible, setting an unrealistic precondition that Lam first upend the NPC Standing Commitee’s 8.31 framework on constitutional reform. His insistence is squeezing his party into the politics of futility.

This is bad news. It means everything must be put on hold until the pan-democrats are done playing politics. The Democrats were once the conscience of the city and voice of its people. No longer – as the party practises its own brand of nihilistic politics. We now have a dwarfish party led by small-thinking people, weakened by defections and splintering.