Hundreds of people from all over Hong Kong assembled outside the Legislative Council Complex on Wednesday - enduring hot, humid weather - to express their support for lawmakers voting for the government's reform proposal.

But, more than 100 opposition supporters also appeared in an attempt to back the opposition camp. This led to some sporadic clashes between the opposing groups.

North District Council Chairman So Sai-chi said the opposition's behavior had been "anti-democratic".

He said they had refused to comply with one of the key principles of democracy - majority rule. So said this clearly showed they were "fake democracy fighters".

Various opinion polls show that around 60 percent of people want the legislators to vote for reform. However, all 27 opposition lawmakers have vowed to veto the proposal.

So said opposition lawmakers should also renounce their vote-en-bloc strategy. He said such arrangement unfairly pressured some opposition lawmakers who want to endorse the proposal.

So came to the site hoping to "arouse the conscience" of opposition lawmakers and persuade them to vote for the reform package.

Kwai Tsing District Council Vice-Chairman Law King-shing also appealed to "pan-democratic" members in LegCo to "take a closer look" at public opinion. Law said he hoped they can accept their social responsibilities and pass the reform plan.

Corey Lau Chun-hoi, North District community director of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, who is in his 20s, said she hoped young people could be rational and accept the reform plan.

"We need to take the first step even though the current plan may not be perfect," Lau said, "Otherwise the young people may wait a lifetime for universal suffrage."

Local concern groups gathered at the site to show their support for the reform proposals. The Alliance for Peace and Democracy expressed its determination to fight for universal suffrage. "People's desire for democratic development will prevail. Anyone who tries to obstruct it will fail in the end," the group said.

In a previous city-wide signature campaign organized by the alliance in May, more than 1.2 million of Hong Kong's eligible voters signed their names to show their support for the government's reform package.

People waiting near LegCo Complex expressed their anger at opposition lawmakers. Bol Ng, 38, said he came because, as an ordinary citizen, he wanted to have a say in such a historic decision. However, the power to do this was in the hands of some irresponsible lawmakers, he lamented.

He predicted that if the lawmakers insist on voting down the plan, people would vote them out in the next LegCo election in 2016.

Another supporter, Jennifer Fung, said she hoped LegCo could pass the plan to stop endless bickering in the city. This would also mean the government could re-focus its attention on economic development, she added.

luisliu@chinadailyhk.com

Supporters voice their support for the electoral reform proposals at a rally outside the Legislative Council building in Tamar on Wednesday. Roy liu / China Daily

Lawmakers hold placards and chant slogans outside the Legislative Council Complex, urging a "yes" vote on the proposals for electing the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2017. Roy Liu / China Daily

Residents gather at a designated protest zone to canvass support for the reform plan as the debate continues inside the Legislative Council. Parker Zheng / China Daily

(HK Edition 06/18/2015 page3)