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Now that the handover is finally upon us, I have been asked repeatedly by foreign visitors and journalists what I and The Frontier will do after June 30 and what changes will take place in a Hong Kong under Chinese rule.

 The spectre of China, an authoritarian and feudalistic giant, gobbling up a free and pluralistic Hong Kong has captured many people's imagination.

 Thus the survival of the pro-democracy movement will serve as an indication that people's freedom and vitality have not been snuffed out.

 However, many people expect us to be wiped out by the future Special Administrative Region government.

  Formed in August last year, The Frontier is a political organisation dedicated to fighting for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the people's right to draft their own constitution.

 During our short history we have co-operated with other pro-democracy groups. While we would like to open dialogue with Chinese officials, we would not tailor our remarks to win favour with Beijing.

 The birth of The Frontier was in response to an increasingly hostile political environment in which many people have been intimidated or enticed into silence. There is also the pressure to be pragmatic - if you are not with the one you love, you love the one you are with.

 The Frontier was determined to buck that trend. We are a bunch of stubborn people determined to prove that in spite of the turbulent political changes and the threat of dire consequences for those who dare to speak their minds, there are people who will adhere to their principles and ideals.

 Since The Frontier is not connected to any special interest groups or business corporations, we can boldly claim we fight for the public interest.

 With other legislators from the pro-democracy lobby, all five Frontier legislators will be thrown out of office on July 1.

 However, we intend to stand for election in future, so long as the rules are democratic and fair.

 Some may accuse us of being naive, since there is a fundamental contradiction between authoritarian rule and democracy. We are not blind to the difficulties ahead and have never tried to hide our pessimism.

 Yet there is no alternative and we owe it to ourselves and the next generation to give it our best shot. In the process some people will have to make sacrifices.

 This is how human civilisation progresses and Hong Kong is no exception.

 Last year some Frontier members gave this instruction to their children: 'In future when mum and dad are in prison, you know how to cook instant noodles to eat.' In a nutshell, We have no illusions but are determined to soldier on.

Since the formation of The Frontier, we have doubled our membership to 140. There are also several dozen Friends of The Frontier. Next month we will move into an office in Yau Ma Tei which is twice the size of our current home in Central.

 We will mount a membership and fund-raising drive and will actively prepare for election. We will continue to speak out for freedom and democracy and will co-operate with other pro-democracy forces.

  We are also eager to encourage capable and committed people to stand for election.

 Politics is everybody's business and we cannot abdicate our responsibility.

 The fact the powers that be do not want us to have a say does not mean that we should roll over and play dead.



Frontier intends to come back from brink