They swept last year’s district council polls. That victory glow has since faded – Hong Kong’s opposition and its municipal-level struggles

Discord between district councillors and officials symbolic of city’s wider political strife, with meetings ending in walkouts or gridlock

Opposition accuses government of stonewalling efforts, while rivals say the camp only has itself to blame for its confrontational stance

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A year after their sweeping victory at the district council elections, opposition members hold a press briefing. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 11:00am, 24 Nov 2020Updated: 4:25pm, 24 Nov 2020

It was just a year ago when Hong Kong’s opposition candidates swept aside their pro-establishment rivals in a political tsunami, scoring a massive victory in the district council elections.

Fresh off winning 392 of 452 seats, the newly minted pan-democratic councillors had hoped they could push for results in both political and social spheres, but the afterglow of their triumph has since faded – discussions with officials have usually ended in walkouts and disputes.

Since January, there have been 89 instances of government representatives walking out of regular council meetings, according to a count by 18 District Councils Liaison, a group formed by opposition councillors.

Pro-establishment district councillors argued their rivals only had themselves to blame for their confrontational ways towards city officials, ranging from top ministers to the police chief and home affairs officers.

Kowloon City district councillor Timothy Lee (right) was arrested on Sunday. Photo: Facebook

Home affairs officials mainly cited the District Council Ordinance, which stipulates that a district council is tasked to advise the government on “matters affecting the well-being of the people in the district”, saying that they were not obligated to discuss matters unrelated to their own area.

This year, some 50 elected opposition councillors – 13 per cent of the bloc – have been arrested over offences such as police obstruction, illegal assembly or misconduct in public office, according to a count by the Post.