[Original Article: https://hongkongfp.com/2025/12/14/breaking-hong-kongs-opposition-democratic-party-commits-to-disband/] Hong Kong now has no opposition party. Not even one 'in name only' remains. (From left: Chairman Yeung Sum, President Lo Kin-hei) Hong Kong’s opposition Democratic Party, after operating in the city for over 30 years, passed a resolution to officially disband and enter liquidation procedures. The decision, first proposed last February, was finalized in a vote held on Sunday at the party headquarters in Prince Edward. Party President Lo Kin-hei stated that out of 121 members who voted, 117 were in favor of disbandment, zero opposed, and there were 4 blank votes. Lo said the party reviewed various considerations, including Hong Kong's political environment, before making the final decision. He thanked the Hong Kong residents who had “walked with” the Democratic Party over the past 30 years. He also mentioned that the party tried to be a bridge between the public and the government, participating in and witnessing the city’s development and transition as Hong Kong’s institutions underwent “deep, continuous changes.” Lo said, “It has been our greatest honor to have walked shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Hong Kong on this 30-year journey.” He added, “It is with deep regret that we must close this chapter.”
The party celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. It includes some of Hong Kong's best-known opposition figures, such as co-founder Martin Lee, nicknamed the ‘Father of Democracy.’ The Democratic Party was once the largest opposition party in Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), holding up to 13 out of 60 seats in 1998. On Sunday, questions were raised about whether the road to democracy in Hong Kong had “died,” and whether the party’s former slogan, “democratic return to China,” had failed. Former Democratic Party Chairman Yeung Sum said he does not believe the democratic handover was a complete failure. He explained that 'One Country, Two Systems' had operated in a more “open” way over the past 30 years, and a vibrant civil society and democratic election system existed in Hong Kong. He said the party's disbandment shows a “signal of change” and that Hong Kong has reached a “low point.” Yeung Sum stated, “The dissolution of the Hong Kong Democratic Party shows that Hong Kong is regressing from a free and open society toward an authoritarian society.”
Regarding what “wrong choices” the Democratic Party may have made over the past 30 years, President Lo Kin-hei said that whenever the party had to make a “political judgment,” they did so based on all information available at the time and made the best decision they could. He added that he is not in a position to comment on whether the Democratic Party was wrong in the past. He said such assessments must be left to future historians. On April 13, a motion passed that brought the party closer to disbandment, following reports that Chinese officials had warned several senior party members to dissolve the party ahead of the LegCo elections held the previous weekend. This motion, submitted after the party began the dissolution process in February, allowed the Central Committee to proceed with disbanding. Lo was unable to disclose the residual value of the party's assets on Sunday, saying the figure must be confirmed by the liquidators. The Democratic Party decided to donate all remaining assets to the Association for the Rights of Individual Accident Victims. Since Beijing implemented the National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, dozens of political and civil society organizations have dissolved. The pro-democracy Civic Party, the second-largest opposition party in LegCo at the time, officially disbanded in March 2024. The Democratic Party, considered a moderate liberal party less radical than other localist factions, had previously met regularly with government officials and maintained significant seats in LegCo.
‘Weakening’ Influence. President Lo Kin-hei said at an April press conference that the final resolution to disband was based on “an understanding of the situation facing the party and the Central Committee.” He later acknowledged the party's diminishing influence, adding that they would not drag out the dissolution process. He said, “It seems that whatever we do in this environment does not actually have a major impact.” He also said they were considering donating the party’s assets to non-political organizations, such as environmental groups. Lo revealed in April that the number of party members was about 400, down from around 1,000 “around 2008 or 2009.” The opposition party was also mentioned in an opinion piece in Ming Pao in April, written by Terry Yip, Deputy Secretary-General of the pro-Beijing DAB (Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong). Yip claimed that the Democratic Party had abandoned the ideals of non-violent protest during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and had even participated in the so-called “black-clad violence” in 2019. In response, Lo said he could not understand why other political parties were concerned about his party’s internal affairs.
Former Democratic Party Chairperson Emily Lau expressed regret over the vote results. She said, “Why should an organization that has done so much for Hong Kong end this way? I think this is a very serious matter.” Lau stated, “We never managed to get democracy. We never had the chance to elect our government... We hope that the [One Country, Two Systems principle] will not shrink further. We hope that more people will not continue to be arrested.”
"The thread started with worries about Korea becoming a communist state but quickly derailed into a serious discussion about the existential tragedy of circumcision."
#FunContinue Browsing
