Neo Democrats

Neo Democrats
新民主同盟
Convenors Chan King-ming
Gary Fan
Kwan Wing-yip
Leung Li
Founded 2 October 2010
Split from Democratic Party
Ideology Liberalism
Localism
Nativism
Populism
Political position Centre-left
Regional affiliation Pan-democracy camp
Colours      Gold/Orange
Legislative Council
1 / 70
District Councils
8 / 507
Website
www.neodemocrats.hk
Politics of Hong Kong
Political parties
Elections
Neo Democrats
Traditional Chinese 新民主同盟
Politics and government
of Hong Kong
Foreign relations

Other Hong Kong topics


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] and former Democratic Party's 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]

Performance in elections

Legislative Council elections

Election Number of
popular votes		 % of
popular votes		 GC
seats		 FC
seats		 Total seats +/−
2012 28,621Steady 1.58Steady 1 0
1 / 70
 1Increase

District Council elections

Election Number of
popular votes		 % of
popular votes		 Total
elected seats		 +/−
2011 25,437Steady 2.15Steady
8 / 412
 0Steady

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Democrats lick wounds as 30 reform radicals quit, The Standard, Colleen Lee, 20 December 2010
  2. ↑ Press review by Swiss Consulate General, Oct 2010, accessed 24 Jan 2011
  3. ↑ Sai Kung District Council Members (2008 - 2011)
  4. ↑ Neo Democrats set out their store, RTHK, 23 Jan 2011, Accessed 23 Jan 2011
  5. ↑ "Lawmakers deny bias against mainlanders". The Standard. 15 October 2013.
  6. ↑ Lo, Alex (15 October 2013). "Lawmakers Gary Fan and Claudia Mo take disingenuous stand on housing". South China Morning Post.
  7. ↑ Chong, Tanna (14 October 2013). "Legislators defend controversial advert on mainland migrants". South China Morning Post.
  8. ↑ But, Joshua (12 October 2013). "Head of equality watchdog condemns lawmakers' ad on mainland migrants". South China Morning Post.
  9. ↑ "Legislaitve Council of Hong Kong" (PDF).

External links