A GROUP of opposition parliamentarians in Hong Kong are planning a mass resignation of their seats in each of the territory’s five main districts, turning the resulting byelections into a de facto referendum on democratic reform.
The move is a gamble to prove there is popular support in Hong Kong for expanding democracy there, and it is sure to set the opposition on a collision course with Beijing over how the territory is governed.
Under the territory’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, which has been in place since the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong enjoys many democratic freedoms.
The Basic Law pledges universal suffrage as an “ultimate aim”.
As it stands, the city’s chief executive is chosen by a small pro-Beijing committee and only half its legislature is directly elected.
However, Beijing is not keen on having open democracy at work on its territory, and has dithered on granting electoral reforms. The Chinese only agreed in 2007 to allow a direct vote for Hong Kong’s leader and legislature, starting in 2017. Debate over the mass walkout plan has led to discord within the “pan-democratic camp”, a grouping of parties and independents under the opposition umbrella that control 23 of 60 seats on the city’s legislative council.
Some legislators are fearful of the damage that could be done to the democratic cause in Hong Kong if the gamble does not pay off.
Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy grouping, the Democratic Party, voted against the resignation plan at the weekend, as it is worried it will lose seats in the the legislature.
Former chief secretary Anson Chan, who backs the plan and is calling for universal suffrage to be introduced in 2012, was quoted by local media saying she was disappointed the Democratic Party had not backed it, but that she thought it would still succeed.
“It’s a question of making the public realise the package put together by the government is a false democratic package,” said Ms Chan.
Under the plan, five lawmakers from each of Hong Kong’s five main districts would step down – three from the League of Social Democrats including the veteran campaigner “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung – and two from the Civic Party.
Albert Chan of the League of Social Democrats was also confident the plan would work.
“If the League of Social Democrats and the Civic Party can remain united then we can successfully recruit 10,000 people to join our volunteer team.
“And we can all regain our seats in the byelections following our mass resignation,” he told local media.