My Take | The new Bauhinia Party deserves to be given a chance
- It would be easy to dismiss the party as a front for Beijing. Yet some of the comments made by one of its founders reflect the views of many and are refreshing to hear
Hong Kong has not been short of political disruption in recent times, with months of civil unrest last year followed by a sweeping crackdown on the opposition.
Not much is known about the party, which was quietly registered as a company in May. But it claims to want to bridge the chasm dividing Hong Kong between two entrenched camps.
It would be easy to dismiss it as a bid by Beijing to shore up its support in Hong Kong. Two of the three founding members including its chairman are, after all, advisers to the central government and there are rumours it is backed by Beijing’s liaison office.
But let’s put aside appearances for a moment and look at what it says. I do not agree with everything co-founder Charles Wong Chau-chi told the Post last week. But some of his comments reflected the views of many in Hong Kong and it was refreshing to hear them.
Wong, 55, is chief executive of a Hong Kong-listed multimedia firm. He said the idea of forming a new party was forged during the civil unrest last year. The cause of the unrest, according to Wong, was Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her ill-fated extradition bill. Many Hongkongers would agree. He described the government as weak and “like a headless chicken that is not decisive enough and lacks direction”. Well, there will a lot of support for that view, too.
Wong said many social and economic concerns had been neglected since the handover allowing resentment to build, especially among the young who lacked channels to express their views.