They’re young, vocal and very, very determined ... but how do Hong Kong’s newest political parties differ?
Youngspiration and Demosisto both advocate self-determination for city, but look set to clash in upcoming Legco elections
Two new groups that share a firm belief in self-determination for Hong Kong will be running head-to-head in the Legislative Council elections in September because of differences over protest tactics.
While Demosisto and Youngspiration agree that Hongkongers have the right to explore the idea of independence, they disagree on the timing for holding a referendum on the city’s future.
Youngspiration convenor Baggio Leung Chung-hang said a commensurate level of force would be used to defend themselves, adding that it was acceptable for protesters to wear masks.
“A lot of protesters were arrested even though they did nothing. In the face of such law enforcers, how could we ask protesters to adopt no protective measures at all?” Leung said in a radio phone-in yesterday.
His colleague, Yau Wai-ching, said “all kinds of protest means are acceptable”as long as they achieved their goal.
The radical approach shared similarities with Hong Kong Indigenous, the group allegedly behind the Mong Kok riot,which stated that violence was inevitable in the battle to “defend the city’s values”. The Hong Kong National Party, established last month, also said it would adopt “whatever effective means” available to advocate independence.
But Demosisto, launched on Sunday by student leaders who co-led the Occupy sit-ins in 2014, argued otherwise. The party, which said it was not “localist”, emphasised the importance of non-violent resistance.
“There’s a huge gap between civil society and the regime in terms of force. Society will have to pay a very high price if we keep escalating the struggle,” party chairman Nathan Law Kwun-chung said, adding that it was important for movement leaders to remember their moral responsibilities.
Youngspiration and Demosisto also failed to agree on when the referendum on self-determination – which they both advocate – should be held to allow Hongkongers to decide their own fate beyond 2047, the year the principle of “one country, two systems” expires. Youngspiration said it should be held in 2021 while Demosisto wants to wait a decade.
But the two groups held something in common that distinguished them from the Hong Kong National Party – they both stopped short of backing independence. However, they argued that Hongkongers should have the right to explore the idea as one of the options in the referendum.
Political scientist Professor Ma Ngok, of Chinese University, said it would be very hard for the newcomers to win elections because of fierce infighting.
