Mister Trouble Wong Yuk-man takes on status quo

In all he does, People Power lawmaker Wong Yuk-man stirs controversy. From playing the banana-throwing maverick to masterminding the "de facto referendum" to becoming "Mr filibuster", political journalists have never been short of headlines since he joined the Legislative Council in 2008.

The latest episode to put Wong under the spotlight was yet another internal row within the pan-democratic camp. On Friday, he beat fellow pan-democrat Cyd Ho Sau-lan to grab the seventh and final seat on Legco's Public Accounts Committee, thanks to some help from the pro-establishment camp.

Before the decision, the pan-democratic camp had agreed that Ho would join two other pan-democrats and four pro-government lawmakers on the committee to review government audits. But Wong decided to join the race, setting up a duel between Wong and Ho.

Wong's support from the pro-establishment camp was unusual. Whether they were trying to drive a wedge between two rivals or had some other motive in mind, the move highlighted the reality that the radicals and mainstream pan-democrats are drifting apart.

"The mainstream pan-democrats are too content with their roles as the opposition," Wong said. "It is not possible to fight against the Communist Party if they are satisfied to be just political commentators."

Indeed, as the radicals have grown more powerful over the past year, the two factions have been bickering like a divorced couple. But the damage to mainstream democrats has become so severe that some have begun to question whether Wong could be a mole aiming to undermine their entire movement.