From Occupy to ballot box: new Scholarism party could end up clashing with old guard democrats in Legco elections
New pan-democrat group likely to field at least two candidates , including core member Oscar Lai
Student activist group Scholarism has confirmed that it will form a political party and field at least two candidates to run in the Legislative Council election in September. It is the latest in a series of developments that highlight young Hong Kong activists’ rise in political prominence in recent years.
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Oscar Lai Man-lok, a core member of the group, told the Post that he was considering running in the Kowloon East constituency to bring changes to the city’s youth policy and raise awareness about Hong Kong’s future after 2047 – the year when Beijing’s promises under the “one country, two systems” principle are due to expire.
The move raised questions about whether the group’s plan would backfire and hinder the campaigns of pan-democrats, whom a political scientists described as “facing a crisis” amid internal competition.
But Lai said: “We just want voters to have more choices, and those who agree with our means of protest and political discourse can vote for us.”
Lai, who will turn 22 this month, said he would become a social worker after graduating from the Hong Kong College of Technology’s higher diploma programme this summer.
The youngest lawmaker ever elected in Hong Kong was the Democratic Party’s James To Kun-sun, who was 28 when he won in 1991.
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