Hong Kong: The Civic Party, one of the biggest democratic parties in Hong Kong, on Saturday announced that it will be disbanding after a vote by party members. According to Alan Leong, founding member and current chairman, 30 out of 31 members voted to wind up the party. One member abstained from voting.
"The world is ever-changing. History will tell. Today, the Civic Party is bidding Hong Kong farewell. We hope Hong Kong people will live in the moment with a hopeful and not too heavy heart. Live in truth and believe in tomorrow," said Leong in a statement. "We had our eyes fixed on the benchmark of democracy. While democracy is yet to be accomplished, we hope the concepts of accountability and open government have been adequately introduced to the people," he added.
Hong Kong's opposition in recent years has been under pressure from the national security law imposed by China. The city's democratic opposition has been hit by the overhaul of the electoral system. Beijing's policies have been sidelining democrats from local politics, reported Reuters.
The Civic Party was founded in 2006 and has been playing a major role to back democratic efforts. It was performing strongly in local legislative and district polls. It was also known for representing professionals including lawyers, accountants, and scholars.
After Beijing started tightening control and imposed national security law in 2020, some members of the party including former lawmakers were arrested. Alvin Yeung and Jeremy Tam have been detained for over two years and denied bail. Another member Margaret Ng was convicted of unlawful assembly. Several others have fled into exile.
In 2021, China changed Hong Kong's electoral system and reduced democratic representation. Beijing has also introduced a system to vet politicians' loyalty to the Chinese government. It was to ensure that only pro-China "patriots" are able to get elected and govern the city. These were internationally seen as efforts to consolidate an authoritarian grip over Hong Kong, a thriving global financial hub.
Hong Kong is now a special administrative region of China. The territory is thought to have come under the Chinese empire between 206 BC and 220 AD. It was during this period people from the Chinese mainland began to settle in Hong Kong. It became a British colony in 1842 when China gave it to the British Empire as part of the Treaty of Nanking to end the First Opium War. During World War II, the island city was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945. Joint British and Chinese troops took it back and returned to British rule.
In 1997, the UK returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule with a "one country, two systems" which was meant to last until 2047. Many protests have taken place in the city over fears that when China fully regains control over the city, constitutional guarantees that come with the special arrangement will be lost.
The cultural and economic differences between Hong Kong people and mainlanders including language have caused tension. The growing number of mainland visitors is also a major concern. China's policies regarding different cultures and languages have also incited fear in Hong Kong people with the deadline of 2047 approaching.