When the Alliance of the League of Social Democrats and the Civic Party put up a full-page advertisement in some Chinese newspapers with the slogan "referendum in five districts, general uprising" to announce their forthcoming mass resignation, people could not help being flabbergasted. What? Calling for a general uprising? Are you out of your minds?

The opposition tried to explain away the inflammatory language by injecting some very creative meanings into the word, but nobody seemed convinced. A referendum is already unconstitutional and to top it off with the call for a general uprising can be construed as sedition. This is intended as a direct confrontation with the SAR government as well as the Central Government. Knowing that without national security legislation as stipulated by Article 23 of the Basic Law, they are not liable to prosecution.

Such blatant provocations of the authority begged for a stern response, failing which the whole city will be ungovernable. With rightful indignation, our citizens expect such a response to restore the city back to normalcy, law and order.

Lawmakers of the pro-establishment camp, being shocked back to their senses, have come out of their self-delusion and vacillation. Independent legislator Priscilla Leung Mei-fun quickly sprang into action and drafted private amendments to the hole-ridden Legislative Council Election Ordinance to stop future political resignations. This move was supported by many of her colleagues. The Liberal Party reversed its previous decision and announced that it would not field candidates to participate in the faux "constitutional referendum" dressed up as a by-election as engineered by the alliance of rebels. At the time of writing, curiously enough the more orthodox Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions have yet to respond to the new development, but I am sure they will quickly fall in line because they surely appreciate the severity of the situation.

With over thirty legislators united together, they form the majority and have the power to stop the "referendum" in the Legislative Council by vetoing the funding application from the government.

With the majority of the Legislative Council condemning the "referendum" and "general uprising", fully backed up by surging public opinion, together with the unmistakable stand from the Central Government, the SAR government will soon make up its mind on how to confront such a direct challenge to its legitimacy and authority.

The author is a member of the Commission for Strategic Development

(HK Edition 01/26/2010 page1)