The newly inaugurated political body, The Frontier, yesterday pledged to work with other political groups for democracy and human rights, playing down the possibility of a split in the liberal camp.
Speaking after the first general meeting, the leadership was keen to assure that the group would seek co-operation with other political groups whenever their interests coincided.
Executive committee member Lau Chin-shek, a Democratic Party legislator, said he had become an initiator of the body because he believed in defending those principles in the run-up to the transition.
He sidestepped a question on whether his participation in The Frontier was because the Democratic Party had failed to fulfil his vision of democracy.
'The Frontier hopes that all those who support its beliefs can take part in it regardless of party affiliation,' he said.
Mr Lau said that in the current political situation, there was a need to ally with people of the same beliefs.
He did not think he had to withdraw from the Democratic Party because The Frontier was a political organisation, not a party.