Neo Democrats
| Neo Democrats 新民主同盟 | |
|---|---|
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| Convenor |
Kwan Wing-yip, Gary Fan, Chan King-ming, Leung Li |
| Founded | 2 October 2010 |
| Ideology |
Populist, Progressivism, Anti-Immigartion Hong Kong First |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| National affiliation | Pro-democracy camp |
| Colours | Orange, gold |
| Legislative Council |
1 / 70 |
| District Councils |
8 / 507 |
| Website | |
| www.neodemocrats.hk | |
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Politics of Hong Kong Political parties Elections | |
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| Politics and government of Hong Kong |
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Education - Geography - History Hong Kong Portal |
The Neo Democrats (Chinese: 新民主同盟) are a pro-democracy political grouping in Hong Kong, composed mainly of former and disenchanted members of the Democratic Party.
Members are considered as the Young Turks faction and reformists in the Democratic Party, and mostly from the New Territories East constituency. They support a more radically pro-democratic position than that of the Democratic Party.
The group describes itself as a 'social movement' and 'not a political party'. However it fielded candidates in the 2011 district council elections, when it cooperated with other parties in the democratic camp to avoid having more than one pan-democrat in each contest. In the 2012 Legco elections the group won one seat, in New Territories East for one of its leaders, a sitting Legislative Councillor, Gary Fan.[1]
Formation
The Neo Democrats identified themselves initially as a grouping within the Democratic Party, opposed to its rejection of the Five Constituencies Referendum and concessions towards Beijing that the party was offering in the run-up to the Legco vote on the Hong Kong government's proposals for democratic reform. It said it aimed to repair the damaged relationship between the Democratic Party and its pan-democratic allies.[2]
As the Neo Democrats styled themselves a continuation of the United Democrats of Hong Kong, they chose to found the group on an anniversary of both the dissolution of UDHK and the foundation of the Democratic Party.
Then on 19 December 2010, thirty members including seven district councilors in the New Territories East resigned from the Democratic Party to formally create the new group. The departees included former party vice chairman Chan King-ming and at least five other founding members, together representing around ten percent of the DP's district councilors and just under five percent of its membership.[1]
All founding members of Neo Democrats formerly are Democratic Party members.
Organisation and membership
Members of the grouping include Sai Kung district councillors Gary Fan, Leung Li and Cheung Kwok-keung,[3] former DP vice chairman Chan King-ming,
The Neo Democrats' leadership comprises four 'convenors', who take individual charge for rotating six-month terms. Convenors currently include Gary Fan.[4]
Anti-Immigration and Hong Kong First
The Neo Democrats represented by Gary Fan have been calling for the government to take back the approval rights on one-way permits from Chinese authorities and to reduce the quota of such permits.[5] Fan also refers immigrants from mainland China and the quota of 150 daily permits as "the root of the housing problem".[6]
In September 2013, Gary Fan co-sponsored a controversial ad which claims that cutting people from the source of immigration would help the people of Hong Kong to get to the bottom of the housing problem, while rejecting claims of bias or discrimination against mainlanders,[7] despite condemnation from the Equal Opportunities Commission.[8] Fan later introduced a motion on adhering to the need to "put Hong Kong people first" in formulating policies, but the motion was ultimately defeated.[9][9]
Performance in elections
Legislative Council elections
| Election | Number of popular votes |
% of popular votes |
GC seats |
FC seats |
Total seats | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 28,621 |
1.58 |
1 | 0 | 1 / 70 |
1 |
District Council elections
| Election | Number of popular votes |
% of popular votes |
Total elected seats |
+/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 25,437 |
2.15 |
8 / 412 |
0 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Democrats lick wounds as 30 reform radicals quit, The Standard, Colleen Lee, 20 December 2010
- ↑ Press review by Swiss Consulate General, Oct 2010, accessed 24 Jan 2011
- ↑ Sai Kung District Council Members (2008 - 2011)
- ↑ Neo Democrats set out their store, RTHK, 23 Jan 2011, Accessed 23 Jan 2011
- ↑ http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=138471&sid=40622151&con_type=1&d_str=20131015&fc=1
- ↑ http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1331746/lawmakers-gary-fan-and-claudia-mo-take-disingenuous-stand
- ↑ http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1331352/legislators-defend-controversial-advert-mainland-migrants
- ↑ http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1330378/head-equality-watchdog-condemns-lawmakers-ad-mainland-migrants
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr13-14/chinese/counmtg/voting/v2013103011.pdf
External links
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