Hong Kong’s Democratic Party to hold meeting to discuss possible disbandment

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, once the largest force in the city’s opposition camp, will discuss on Thursday whether to disband, a conversation that its chairman has described as “inevitable”. The party’s central committee would hold a meeting on Thursday evening covering a wide range of issues, including the future of the group, its chairman Lo Kin-hei said at a press conference on Wednesday to present its suggestions for the government budget, which will be delivered next week. A final decision would only be announced after it had gone through the general assembly, he said, stopping short of specifying a time frame for the whole process. “Of course, we should consult all of our members before we can actually come to that conclusion,” Lo said. The party’s future has been the subject of speculation following a series of electoral reforms in recent years to ensure only “patriots” administer the city. Lo said on Wednesday the party was trying to involve its veteran members and others with the relevant political experience in the conversation. “At this point in time, I don’t think I can talk any more about this issue,” he said, while refraining from saying whether the party was facing pressure to disband. “But if the day has come for the party to disband, we have to accept it.” Lo, who was re-elected as chairman last December, said a discussion about the group’s future was “inevitable”, with the topic having come up from time to time in the past. He said that one of the reasons for Thursday’s discussion was the dissolution of other civic and opposition camp organisations in recent years. The prominent Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (Pori) recently announced it would suspend all self-funded research activities indefinitely. Hong Kong’s Civic Party, which was once the second-largest opposition party in the city, disbanded in 2023 after operating for 17 years. “We see a lot of different groups and parties dissolving … So every time any kind of group disbands or they discontinue, we will have that kind of discussion for a little bit,” he said. He said such discussions were “very normal” and the party did not enjoy any privilege when other organisations had already disbanded. Lo also revealed the government last Thursday had invited the party to present its views on the budget, before the invitation was withdrawn on Saturday, citing an urgent meeting that officials needed to attend. The party chairman said that since 2019, authorities had stopped arranging regular meetings with the group during consultation periods before policy addresses and budget announcements. Asked if the government had attempted to marginalise the party, Lo said it was best for Hong Kong as a whole if different groups could express diverse opinions to the government, encouraging authorities to consider a holistic outlook. “I also believe that this diversity in opinions is what made Hong Kong very nice in the past … And I hope that the government can try to be more open,” he said. The party has not had a representative in the Legislative Council or on district councils since the introduction of Beijing-backed electoral reforms in 2021. Founded in 1994, the party had been the city’s biggest in the opposition camp for decades. In 2010, the party took part in closed-door negotiations with Beijing officials and struck a compromise on the path for political reform in Hong Kong. The move drew fierce objections from supporters and allies, who slammed the secret talks as a betrayal, but the party survived and thrived, remaining the opposition bloc’s leading group. Its fortunes were reversed with Beijing’s imposition of the national security law in 2020 – a response to months of anti-government protests in the city. Under the law, four former party legislators – Wu Chi-wai, Helena Wong Pik-wan, Lam Cheuk-ting and Andrew Wan Siu-kin – were sentenced in 2024 to up to six years and nine months in jail after being convicted of conspiracy to commit subversion for their roles in an unofficial “primary” election. The party has also faced repeated hurdles when planning annual fundraising banquets in recent years, with host venues often cancelling the bookings at the last minute. Its spring reception in 2023 also fell through despite organisers keeping the location secret until the eleventh hour, with venue operator Wealth Banquet reporting gas issues two hours before the event was set to take place.

Hong Kong’s Democratic Party to hold meeting to discuss possible disbandment

Discussion will be held on Thursday, with final decision to only be announced once it goes through party’s general assembly

nproxy.org