League chief sticks to the principles
The head of the League of Social Democrats has pledged to stand firm on his group's principles of social democracy and methods of civil disobedience. Wong Yuk-man's promise came in his first Letter to Hong Kong, broadcast on RTHK.
In his first tilt at a seat in the legislature this month, Mr Wong - who used to be a provocative radio talk-show host - polled an unexpectedly high 37,553 votes in Kowloon West, the second highest in the constituency.
He spent much of his radio talk addressing issues affecting the younger generation, and hit back at those who belittled his young supporters as the 'New Red Guard' - a reference to the party's signature colour.
'Such labelling is deeply offensive ... it betrays an utter failure on the part of many candidates to understand today's youth. Most other parties created third-rate rap-music videos ... government officials and politicians pretend that they know what our youth needs, but they got it all wrong,' he said.
'Young people choose the League of Social Democrats because they see no future in the current socio-political system,' he said. 'They elected us because they see us as their last resort.
'In the next four years, we shall try to advocate their cause, and train our young members in politics so they will become the next generation of standard bearers of democracy and freedom,' he said. 'We will carry on our actions of civil disobedience in the larger society, in conjunction with our forceful political criticisms of the government and the pro-establishment factions within Legco.'
Mr Wong said he would insist on universal suffrage for 2012, saying there had been 'no sure promise' by Beijing regarding direct elections for the chief executive in 2017 and for Legco in 2020.
A government spokesman said: 'According to the decision [of the National People's Congress Standing Committee] the chief executive may be elected by universal suffrage in 2017 and all members of the Legislative Council may be elected by universal suffrage in 2020.'
