Diverse democracy activists unite under a red umbrella
If anyone starts seeing red while passing through Mong Kok tonight, they shouldn't think that the anti-Chen Shui-bian campaign has found a new home in MacPherson Playground.
It's just the launch of Hong Kong's latest pro-democracy coalition, the League of Social Democrats, which is using red as its theme colour and is decking the park with red flags.
The new coalition - which shares its acronym LSD with a well-known psychedelic drug - is taking its counterculture seriously. It is uniting some of Hong Kong's best-known activists under one banner, including legislators 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung and Albert Chan Wai-yip, and district councillors 'The Bull' Tsang Kin-shing and Andrew To Kwan-hang.
The coalition, spearheaded by former talk show host Wong Yuk-man, aims at protecting the rights of its grass roots and working-class base, including unionists, academics, lawyers, youth representatives, social workers and women's and gay groups. It has promised to be a strong opposition force to the government.
Other members include Yim Yuet-lin, founder of the sex-worker concern group Zi Teng, and core members of the Hong Kong Christian Institute. With non-governmental groups already expressing an interest in joining the group since the launch of its preparatory committee in May, it is likely to field more than a dozen candidates in next year's district council elections.
If it does well in these polls, it could field candidates for the Legislative Council election in 2008.
In a draft manifesto, the group said chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was no different from his predecessor, Tung Chee-hwa, in terms of the way he was elected.
'The so-called people-based governance is just empty talk if the chief executive is still not elected by universal suffrage. We are firmly opposed to small-circle elections,' it said. The group also supports a reversal of the verdict on the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and peaceful reunification with Taiwan.
The programme tonight at the park includes rock music and a segment of Mr Wong's stand-up comedy.
