A Facebook group formed to target Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who has indicated she will run for chief executive, calls her just another “689” (the number of votes Leung gained in becoming chief executive) I watched a video that tries to mobilise support against Ip. The reason? She has the support of Beijing. And after Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor indicated she might join the race, a caricature of her as Leung started circulating on the internet.

Why Carrie Lam is Beijing’s real preference for chief executive

All this attests to the damaging effects of adversarial democracy, which discourages people from considering the long-term, wider interests of society, with “public interest” put on the back burner.

Blaming the polarisation on Leung is just a convenient political ploy by those who detest Beijing’s sovereignty over Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong began its process of democratisation, different interests have been vying for influence to advance their agendas. But this will not help build a better future. To do that, we must consider how a policy or institutional arrangement may affect each of us in the community. I define public interest as the interest of a “representative individual” – who could be anyone in the community and so has no fixed identity or given interest. The public interest should also include the interest of future generations.

‘One country, two systems’ and a vicious circle in Hong Kong

Believing in adversarial politics requires a leap of faith. Those who demand “genuine universal suffrage” believe it is the best way to bring about socially desirable outcomes. But the past five years are proof that adversarial politics only ends up polarising the community, each side seeing the other as enemies.

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American political scientist Jane Mansbridge, in her book 1980 book Beyond Adversary Democracy, argued that “adversary democrats” did not believe in the existence of a public or common interest. Rule by consensus – or by people reasoning together – is thus deemed impossible. Under this argument, there will always be a battle of interests, so the best shot at real democracy is to give each group an equal chance of winning. But, in Taiwan, Europe and the US we have witnessed increasing polarisation. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp blames Leung for the increasing polarisation in the city, as well as the lack of “genuine universal suffrage”. But events around the world show that this narrative is no longer credible.

Ho Lok Sang is dean of business at Chu Hai College of Higher Education