Hong Kong must strive for democracy, not go down the independence dead end
Gary Wong says challenging the government does not mean violating the Basic Law and Hong Kong must make a clear distinction between pushing for democracy and advocating independence
This year, I resigned from my full-time job and stood in the Legislative Council election. Amid the chaos of Hong Kong politics, I had hoped to offer citizens an alternative, rational and moderate voice. I aspired to be a legislator who was willing to bridge divides, resume political reform and preserve order and dignity in the legislature.
Regrettably, I failed to win enough support for the path of constructive democracy, a third option other than the traditional pro-establishment and pan-democratic camps. Given the political fragmentation in Legco, it was clear that the future would be difficult. Yet it had never crossed my mind that newly elected legislators would stage protests even before they were sworn in. The consequences, as we now know, were an interpretation of the Basic Law by Beijing and a series of judicial reviews.