The birth of the Civic Party last month is likely to usher in a period of greater intellectual ferment among members of the pro-democratic camp.
One can only hope it will lead to a more businesslike, and less antagonistic, relationship between Hong Kong's democrats and the central government.
The Democratic Party has been in decline for some years, and the launching of the Civic Party should inject new life into the democratic movement as a whole. Unlike the old party, the new one does not have an obsessive fixation on the events that took place in Tiananmen Square nearly 17 years ago.
The Democratic Party's manifesto declares: 'We care for China and, as part of the Chinese citizenry, we have the right, and obligation, to participate in and comment on the affairs of China.'
By contrast, the Civic Party's manifesto emphasises its connection to Hong Kong rather than its Chineseness. Moreover, the founding membership of the Civic Party was not limited to Chinese nationals. It made no claim that all its members were part of the Chinese citizenry.
This is as it should be. In a way, the Civic Party is more like the United Democrats of Hong Kong (UDHK), which was founded in 1990 and became the predecessor of the Democratic Party.
