Scholarism’s Agnes Chow urges locals to get involved in debate on Hong Kong’s future
The protest group has been suspended, as former members look to launch political party
A leader of one of the city’s most prominent pro-democracy groups has said Hongkongers from across the political spectrum need to get involved with the debate over what the city will become after 2047, saying the time will come faster than many may think.
She said the “one country, two systems” principle had been eroded ever since Hong Kong was handed back to China, and that questions remained over whether the demise of the principle would actually come before 2047.
Speaking on a DBC radio program, she said: “We have expected that the movement to fight for self-determination will be a long one, longer than the fight against the national education curriculum and the fight for political reform. But is 2047 really that far away? No.”
“No matter how old you are, it is an issue that you should care about. Don’t think that it’s none of your business because it seems far away.”
Scholarism, which was founded by students in 2011 and played a leading role in the 2014 Occupy movement, dropped a bombshell on Sunday with the announcement that it had suspended work before completely disbanding to form a new political party next month.