There was a time when the pro-business Liberal Party was one of the government's staunchest allies, particularly when it came to supporting the administration's legislative programme.
However, an analysis by the South China Morning Post of voting in the 2011-12 legislative year found that the party's support for the government has dwindled steadily. Of the 82 bills and amendments tabled by the government during this period, the Liberals voted for fewer than half - 46.2 per cent - down from 76.2 per cent of the 18 pieces of government-sponsored legislation tabled in 2008-9, the first year of the previous administration's four-year term.
According to Miriam Lau Kin-yee, the party's chairwoman and a lawmaker representing the transport functional constituency, the government seemed to think it could take the Liberals' support for granted.
'They seldom communicate with us ... as if a pro-business party should be supporting the government all the time,' said Lau.
'I think government officials have treated us to dinner once a year for the past few years, and that was the extent of the communication. On the contrary, the officials frequently host seafood dinners in Lei Yue Mun for the Democrats.'
The decline in the Liberal Party's support for the government was also apparent when compared with the other Beijing loyalists' high approval rates for government bills. The Federation of Trade Union (FTU) was the most dependable, with its four lawmakers on average supporting 82 per cent of the administration-sponsored legislation. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) came next, with an average of 80.2 per cent of support from its nine voting lawmakers - the party's chairman, Legco president Tsang Yok-sing, does not vote in the council.
