Hong Kong television viewers were not the only ones stunned by Henry Tang Ying-yen's explosive allegations during last Friday's chief executive debate.
Beijing and its Hong Kong liaison office were also shocked when Tang accused rival Leung Chun-ying of suggesting the use of riot police and tear gas against those protesting against a proposed national security law. Tang also accused Leung of wanting to cut short the licence renewal term for Commercial Radio as a 'punishment' for its critical stance on government policies.
But it was not so much the revelations that alarmed Beijing and the liaison office. It was that Tang had revealed confidential discussions within the Executive Council. According to the Basic Law, the council is 'an organ for assisting the Chief Executive in policy-making' and the confidentiality rule, inherited from the British colonial period, has long been regarded as sacrosanct. Tang claimed he breached it because 'public interest has overridden confidentiality'.
So all eyes were on Tang last night to see if he had another bomb to drop on Leung during the TV debate organised by the Election Committee.
But it didn't happen. That might mean Tang has run out of ammunition, but he still stood firm on his accusations against Leung and even said he had brought the case to the Independent Commission Against Corruption for further investigation. In the coming few days, will the situation turn even more irremediable as the fight between the two rivals accelerates?
Whatever the effects of these bombshells have been, there has been a gradual drop in Leung's popularity from its highest, at over 50 per cent last month, to the current 40 per cent. Meanwhile, 27 per cent supported none of the three candidates, according to the latest Cable TV poll.