HONG KONG: Yeung Sum knew it would take years to build a political Hong Kong when he co-founded the state’s largest pro-democracy group more than 30 years back. Nevertheless, it was possible. His Political Party is resuming operations now, a sign that the ruling Communist Party in Beijing has pledged to maintain the high standard of civil rights and freedom that the former British colony had when it came back to China in 1997.
Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019 that paralysed the country led to a onslaught that has almost silenced dissent thanks to censored elections, media freedom, and a Chinese-imposed national security law that sent some of Yeung’s group members to jail. Numerous civil society organizations dissolved.
Previous chairman Yeung claimed in an interview with The Associated Press that Chinese officials had told him that the group needed to bedissolved. He urged his supporters to give the management the authority to oversee the procedure.
Yeung said,” I’m not quite happy about it.” However, I can see that if we reject the visit to dissolve, we could have to pay a sizable price for it.
Other people got emails that were identical. When he inquired about the possibility of its people running, Chinese officials said the group wouldn’t survive through this week’s parliamentary election. Sin Chung-kai, a further foundation member, claimed that some Hong Kong-based residents were informed in early February of the consequences if the party remained in existence.
promising earlier ages
The merger of two pro-democracy organizations led to the formation of the 1994 Democrat Party. It supports Hong Kong’s returning to China, according to its statement.
It had the most votes in the parliamentary committee in its early decades. The party was a significant pro-democracy words in the legislature yet after Beijing changed its electoral laws in 2021 to allow only “patriots” to work. According to Yeung, the pro-democracy movement at the time typically received about 60 % of the popular vote.
Sir was encouraged to see how well the city’s trial with democracy, the rule of law, an impartial judiciary, and a merit-based administration may succeed.
He recalled that” the whole social system has been demonstrated to be really, really, very promising over the years.”
Beijing’s conversations drew criticism.
In discussions with Chinese officials in 2010 that allowed millions of voters to directly appoint five lawmakers from their neighborhood councils, the group came under fire for supporting the government’s democratic transformation package. In the 2012 parliamentary election, some supporters of broader political transformation resigned in protest. Additionally, it drew criticism from supporters of the pro-democracy movement.
Looking up, former chairman Emily Lau, who was present in the discussions with Beijing, claims that many people supported the result because it was a step forward. She claimed that Beijing was being asked to keep a conversation with other countries to achieve common vote, but it never did.
The only thing I could have done slightly differently was not going into the ( Beijing’s ) liaison office ( in Hong Kong ). She said,” I guess we underestimated how some Hong Kongers detested them.”
The group’s control decreased as new pro-democracy organizations were starting to grow. Following the 2014 huge rallies calling for universal vote, the rise of younger lawmakers, including pro-Hong Kong democracy activists, made that more apparent. Five years later, when the 2019 demonstrations swept Hong Kong, the group’s engagement was once again largely supported.
Following the assault
The social landscape was altered by China’s assault, which included the 2020 striking security law. Several former politicians, including group ex-chairmen Albert Ho and Wu Chi-wai, are currently serving time in prison for important national security offenses.
Due to the new legal foundation for elections, the Democratic Party has stopped participating in elections. Some experts think Beijing may not longer see the party as worthwhile, particularly since it did not run in the 2021 congressional election following the political reform.
The Civic Party, the second-largest pro-democracy social party, and a ten-year-old organization that held the annual celebration to mark Beijing’s Tiananmen assault in 1989, are among the various pro-democracy organizations that have shut down. Some protesters choose to leave their jobs or choose to self-exile.
The Democrat Party continued to speak at press conferences about problems affecting livelihoods. Before it became law in March of 2024, it actually submitted opinions regarding the new national security law.
Before and after the safety law became effective, Ramon Yuen, who had served as a coverage director, acknowledged that the organization has evolved into a pressure group.
” However, this pressure group is also under stress,” Yuen said.
advancing toward dissolution
The party’s core committee made the decision to create a task force to examine the steps involved in dissolving itself in February. According to recent chairman Lo Kin-hei, it was based on the current social environment and social environment. He turned down the request for an interview.
A vote on whether to sanction the command to continue may be held at a conference on Sunday. A after time is anticipated for a last voting on the breakdown.
Yuen, 38, joined the party in 2009. If it is shuttered, the area will reduce its tone, he said, as it seeks to advance problems ranging from human rights to politics, human rights, and the rule of law.
He claimed that the key committee’s decision to make this decision is not simple. ” I take it. Every era may end, I can only hope.
The dissolution would be a “very great loss” for the area, according to Yeung, a veteran of the party. The side’s disappearance would make it difficult for outsiders to accept the “one country, two systems” principle.
He thinks that the struggle for democracy will continue for Hong Kongers, specifically for the younger people who first tasted a free nation. Yeung, who received a 14-month prison sentence for his part in the protests, said that people are calm because they are concerned about the potential consequences of boldly criticizing the government.
” But perhaps there won’t be any more party-democratic creation. However, I believe that people’s enthusiasm for politics did never vanish. It is still there, perhaps in a unique form.
