Eroding the Pillars

Hong Kong’s oldest pro-democracy party will dissolve, its leaders announced this week, the latest blow to the city’s opposition groups as Beijing continues to tighten its grip on the semi-autonomous territory, the Guardian reported.

Lo Kin-hei, the chair of the Democratic Party, said Thursday the pro-democracy group will work on the legal and procedural steps needed to dissolve.

He and other officials cited the city’s deteriorating political environment, noting that developing democracy in Hong Kong has always been difficult, and “especially difficult in the past few years.”

The Democratic Party was founded in 1994, not long before the city’s British colonial overseers were to hand over control to China in 1997.

Following the handover, the party became the largest opposition force in Hong Kong’s legislature and played a leading role in peaceful protests, as well as pushing for the “one country, two systems” framework – a constitutional arrangement that promised the city a high degree of autonomy and rights protections.

The party saw its influence peak in 2019 after it won a majority of seats in local elections, riding on the wave of anti-government protests that year.

But its fortunes quickly declined after Beijing launched a crackdown against the demonstrations and implemented a sweeping national security law in 2020 on the city. China’s control was further cemented in 2021 after the city’s pro-Beijing government changed its electoral system to ensure that only “patriots” could take office – effectively barring the Democratic Party from participating in elections.

A number of former Democratic Party leaders and figures have been jailed under the national security law, including Albert Ho, a longtime democracy advocate who organized annual vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

When asked if Beijing pressured the party to disband, Lo declined to comment and said he would not disclose details of internal discussions.

The dissolving of the Democratic Party follows that of Hong Kong’s second-largest opposition group, the Civic Party, in 2023.

City officials dismissed the significance of the party’s dissolution and have accused it of “constantly causing trouble inside and outside parliament,” the BBC added. Hong Kong government adviser Regina Ip claimed that the pro-democracy group had reached “a dead end” because it has been losing support in recent years.

The international community, including Western governments, has repeatedly criticized Beijing for dismantling Hong Kong’s democratic institutions.

US and European officials have condemned the national security law for eroding freedoms promised under the “one country, two systems” framework.

However, Beijing insists the measures are necessary to maintain order in the city.