Hong Kong people's wishes must come first for legislators of all stripes

The pan-democrats have vowed to vote down the government's political reform package despite the slight lowering of the entry threshold for the first of two nominating stages. With the community having to put up with the status quo for the next two years at least, it is incumbent on all political parties to reflect on their strategies and prioritise the public's long-term interest, to meet the many challenges ahead.

Elections for the city's 18 district councils will begin in a few months, a prelude to the Legislative Council election next year and a litmus test of voter support for the respective political parties.

The 2016 Legco election will have long-term repercussions on our constitutional development. Assuming the pan-democrats retain their veto power in Legco, it's unlikely that the government would relaunch the same reform package that had been vetoed once.

Conversely, if the pan-democrats were to fare poorly and fail to secure at least a third of the 70 seats, it is only natural that the government may consider reintroducing the reform package in its present form, and nothing more.

Neither of these scenarios would benefit the pan-democrats; in fact, either would deprive them of the moral authority to persist with their obstructionism.

Their only salvation would be to try to win more public support by listening to the views of their constituents and acting accordingly.

From all indications, the majority view now is to accept the package first and continue to fight for a better deal in the next term. Common sense tells us that this is what a sensible person would do in a deadlock. Even the British government has given similar advice to the people of Hong Kong.