New | Rift opens among pan-democrats as student activists propose legislators resign
A call by student activists for five legislators to resign as a means of forcing a de facto referendum on electoral reform has been received badly by pan-democrat parties
A plan by the student activists’ group Scholarism for five legislators from pan-democracy parties to quit as a means to trigger another de facto referendum on political reform has received tepid response from pan-democrats.
And a rift seems to be developing among the pan-democrats over the Scholarism plan, which was put forward on Thursday by the student group, apparently without having consulted their political allies.
Major pro-democracy parties have expressed reservations, with some fearing that such action could divert public attention from the camp’s Occupy Central strategy to fight for universal suffrage.
Mirroring a similar move in 2010, the group has called for five pan-democrat politicians to quit, forcing by-elections which it says would be seen as a form of referendum on political reform.
The five would not however be able to join the by-elections because of legal amendments introduced since the 2010 resignations barring lawmakers who resign from standing in a by-election for six months.
Only two of the parties contacted by the South China Morning Post – the radical People Power and League of Social Democrats – have backed the plan.