Hong Kong ‘godfather of localism’ announces retirement from online media after Legco loss

In swipe at voters, academic now claims city doesn’t deserve independence

Hong Kong localism and independence

Tony Cheung

Published: 2:05pm, 7 Sep 2016

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Horace Chin Wan-kan, widely referred to as the “godfather of Hong Kong localism”, has announced his retirement from his work in online media after losing in the Legislative Council polls on Sunday.

The former Lingnan University academic and New Territories East candidate, who revealed on Monday that his plan for sustaining the Basic Law was actually a ruse for advocating the city’s independence, also declared that Hongkongers did not deserve “to own a country” as many had refused to support him.

In 2011, Chin published Hong Kong as a Citystate, a book now viewed as an inspiration for today’s localism movement, and became known as a “godfather of localism”.

This year Chin allied with radical lawmaker Wong Yuk-man as well as Civic Passion’s Cheng Chung-tai, Wong Yeung-tat and Alvin ChengKam-mun in a bid to win seats in the five geographical constituencies.

Chin (second from left) after submitting his Legco election nomination form in Sha Tin in July. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

But their plan failed as only Cheng Chung-tai was elected, in New Territories West, with 54,496 votes. Chin garnered 23,635 votes and was defeated in New Territories East, while Wong lost his seat in Kowloon West. The five candidates drew a combined total of about 150,000 votes.

Posting on his personal Facebook page early Wednesday, Chin said he was ending his programme on Wong’s online radio station MyRadio.

“My online columns in Yahoo! and [Civic Passion’s publication] Passion Times will also end after those contracts expire,” he said. “In the future, only those who love me will see me in person ... I will also end this Facebook account, which I have used for many years, at an appropriate time.”

In a previous post, Chin criticised Hong Kong voters for refusing to support him.

“Hongkongers rejected Chin’s salvation plan. But it could be a good thing after all that I have lost, because they hated good people’s noble plans,” he wrote. “They do not deserve to own a country ... because they’d be too arrogant to govern.”

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