Party of freedom fighters on the ropes
PLAGUED BY INTERNAL rifts, the Democratic Party has failed to keep pace with changing political moods and developments. Once hailed as a guardian of civil liberties, the group is apparently set on an irreversible course of decline.
The so-called Young Turks among the Democrats are reportedly poised to abandon ship ahead of next year's district council polls. About 50 activists are said to be ready to desert to launch a new party or switch allegiance to The Frontier.
Last month, former vice-chairman Anthony Cheung Bing-leung founded a new policy group under the banner Synergynet. About half of its 60 members are incumbent legislators and district councillors from the Democratic Party.
Mr Cheung insists his move will not split the Democrats. But it is a reality that some party moderates have found it so ineffective that they consider it necessary to set up a new platform.
The divide will be even more conspicuous when party elders Martin Lee Chu-ming and Szeto Wah bow out, as they are expected to do after serving their current four-year term in the Legislative Council.
Founded on October 2, 1994, the Democratic Party is a merger of three progressive pressure groups. It now has 581 ordinary and 13 associate members. In contrast, its arch-rival, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, has 1,971 members. The Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood, on the other hand, has shied away from calling itself a full-blown party. It has just 104 members.
That means, out of a population of 6.8 million, there are fewer than 4,000 people associated with these three or any other political party. The SAR is carved into 18 districts, thus leaving an average of fewer than 200 party activists in each region.
Despite this dismal level of participation, the Democrats were once regarded as fighters for freedom and democracy. Among their ranks are 12 legislative councillors and 81 district councillors. Although the DAB has only 10 legislators, it already has eclipsed the Democrats at grassroots district elections, with 102 district councillors. The tally is likely to rise after next year's polls.
According to Hong Kong University's Public Opinion Programme surveys, the Democratic Party is now sixth on the list of 10 political groupings. It scored 57.5 out of a scale of 100 in July 1998. The latest findings show it with just 50.6 points. It will hardly be a surprise if it slips below 50 in the next poll.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are part of an eight-party Legco alliance pressing the Government to, among other things, freeze fees and charges.
It has achieved some concessions. But the achievements have mostly been credited to Liberal Party chairman James Tien Pei-chun. Mr Tien has recommended his colleague, Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, as a possible minister under Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's initiative to boost accountability.
DAB chief Tsang Yok-shing has also been floated as another option from among the party leaders. It remains to be seen whether they will be admitted. But it is certain the Democrats will be excluded. Due to constitutional constraints, none of the parties is in a position to translate its political manifestoes into concrete government policies.
The rules of the game will soon be rewritten when a new breed of policy secretary is recruited from outside the civil service to assume greater powers and responsibilities.
The Democrats are already fighting a losing battle. They will hardly stand a chance when the new quasi-ministers, some of whom may be elevated from among their rival parties, assume office to compete for popular backing.
