‘Hong Kong officials should consider reasonable demands by pan-democrat lawmakers’
Retiring Beijing-loyalist Tam Yiu-chung looks back at the highs and lows of his political career and proposes a way forward for the divided chamber
On the eve of his departure from the Legislative Council he has served for nearly three decades, Beijing-loyalist Tam Yiu-chung made a rare appeal to ensure smoother operations in future: consider demands by pan-democrats if they are reasonable.
Tam, 66, is one of the most experienced lawmakers in the city. He entered Legco in 1985 as a labour representative and, before confirming his retirement, was once tipped to succeed Jasper Tsang Yok-sing as Legco president.
Tam, former chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said he had been thinking of retiring this year since his re-election in 2012, but it was the pro-establishment camp’s botched vote on electoral reform last year that convinced him it was time to go.
“I was not solely responsible for it, but I would think: why could I not stop it from happening?” Tam said, adding that the failure was the biggest regret of his political career and made him realise he could not analyse or respond to an unexpected situation as quickly as before.