More than 30 years ago, Hong Kong’s largest party, the Democratic Party, was founded by Yeung Sam. But he knew then that building democracy in Hong Kong would be a “difficult dream.”
A report in the Asahi Shimbun said that Yeung Sam’s party is now on the verge of extinction. It has become a symbol of the declining state of Western-style civil liberties and a high degree of autonomy promised to Hong Kong. However, when Hong Kong returned to China from British colonial rule in 1997, the Chinese Communist Party promised to keep it for at least 50 years.
The report said that the 2019 pro-democracy protests almost paralyzed Hong Kong. The result was a crackdown that limited elections, censored the media, and imprisoned some members of Yang’s party under China’s national security law. Many private organizations closed their operations.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Yang, the party’s former chairwoman, said that Chinese officials had told him that the party should be dissolved. He urged members to support the proposal so that the leadership could be given the responsibility of leading the dissolution process.
“I’m not very happy about it,” he said. “But I understand that if we don’t heed the call for dissolution, we may have to pay a very high price.”
Others have received similar messages. Fred Lee, a veteran party leader, said that when he asked if party members would be able to run in the upcoming legislative elections, Chinese officials indicated that the party would not survive this year.
Another founding member, Hsin Chung-kai, said some members in Hong Kong were threatened with consequences if they continued to run.
The Democratic Party was formed in 1994 through the merger of two pro-democracy groups. According to its manifesto, the party supports Hong Kong’s return to China.
Initially, the party held the largest number of seats in the Legislative Council. The party was a major pro-democracy voice in the Legislative Council until Beijing changed the electoral rules in 2021 to allow only “patriots” to run. At the time, the pro-democracy camp usually received around 60% of the vote, said Yiang.
At the time, Yiang was optimistic that democracy, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and merit-based governance were working successfully in Hong Kong.
However, in 2010, the party faced criticism for supporting the government’s political reform package through negotiations with Chinese officials, which allowed ordinary voters to directly elect five lawmakers from their district councils. But this move angered many in the pro-democracy camp and the party lost two seats. This also put the party under internal pressure.
After the 2014 pro-democracy movement, the party’s influence declined due to the rise of a younger generation of politicians. However, the party’s activism regained popularity during the 2019 mass protests.
China’s crackdown and the 2020 national security law have changed the face of Hong Kong politics. Former party chairmen Albert Ho and Wu Chi-wai, among them, are now in prison.
The Democratic Party no longer takes part in elections due to the new electoral structure. After not taking part in the 2021 Legislative Council elections, many believe that Beijing no longer values the party.
Other pro-democracy parties have also disappeared—such as the Civic Party and the group that organized the annual light-up event to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Some have gone into exile, others have stopped their activities.
In February, the party’s central committee formed a task force to look into the dissolution of the party. Current chairperson Lo Kin-hee said the decision was based on the current political situation and social environment.
Yuen, who joined the party in 2009, said that if the party were to be dissolved, Hong Kong would lose a voice that spoke for livelihoods, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Veteran party leader Yiang said the party’s dissolution would be a “big blow” to the city and that its disappearance would undermine global trust in the “one country, two systems” policy.