New party aspires to be sensible about opposition
A new political party spearheaded by the Article 45 Concern Group has vowed to adopt a responsible approach to bringing about changes in policies - by putting itself in the government's position.
Organisers said yesterday they would lead an 'accountable' political party, taking practical factors into consideration when proposing alternative policies. They said they would not oppose policies just for the sake of doing so.
City University political scientist Joseph Cheng Yu-shek said: 'We will consider the practical situation when deliberating policies. We will put ourselves in the position of government.'
Chinese University professor Kuan Hsin-chi, a core organiser, said it was not surprising the notion of a 'ruling party' had caused anxiety among people close to Beijing.
'The logic of pro-Beijing figures is that the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] is the ruling party in China. Hong Kong is part of China. They wonder if we are aspiring to seize power when we say we want to become the ruling party.
'Our goal of ruling party does not mean we want to overthrow the CCP ... any political party must set a target of [becoming the] ruling party even though that may take five, 10 years or longer to attain.
'The importance ... is that we do not oppose for the sake of opposing. It is easy to oppose. A political party must have a sense of responsibility towards society ... We will discuss and debate policies on the basis of their reasoning and appropriateness, and in a responsible attitude.
'For instance, we won't propose tax cuts if the figures cannot be squared ... We must make sure our policies are workable.'
The party is scheduled to be inaugurated in March.
When the party plan was disclosed in December, pro-Beijing figures were hostile to the idea, while pundits say the party could trigger an exodus of Democratic Party members.
Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, an Article 45 Concern Group legislator, said they were not out to grab members from other democratic parties because this would not help democratic development. Meanwhile, member Ronny Tong Ka-wah said they had not yet begun to raise funds.
Professor Kuan said they were considering having two leaders, with a party chief in the legislature and a chairman outside to help connect individuals and various groups with the party.
'There will be both separation and integration of works inside and outside the legislature.'
