POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 269 POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 84 (10-09-2015)

Occupy Central

Occupy Central is a civil disobedience movement which began in Hong Kong on September 28, 2014. It calls on thousands of protesters to block roads and paralyse Hong Kong's financial district if the Beijing and Hong Kong governments do not agree to implement universal suffrage for the chief executive election in 2017 and the Legislative Council elections in 2020 according to "international standards." The movement was initiated by Benny Tai Yiu-ting (戴耀廷), an associate professor of law at the University of Hong Kong, in January 2013.

Umbrella Movement

The Umbrella Movement (Chinese: 雨傘運動; pinyin: yǔsǎn yùndòng) is a loose political movement that was created spontaneously during the Hong Kong protests of 2014. Its name derives from the recognition of the umbrella as a symbol of defiance and resistance against the Hong Kong government, and the united grass-roots objection to the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) of 31 August.

The movement consists of individuals numbering in the tens of thousands who participated in the protests that began on 28 September 2014, although Scholarism, the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Occupy Central with Love and Peace,  groups are principally driving the demands for the rescission of the NPCSC decision.

Occupy Central site in Causeway Bay was cleared as police moved in  ...

Occupy Central site in an area surrounding the Legislative Council and Central Government Offices at Tamar were cleared 22-06-2015.

Hong Kong reform vote

The Hong Kong government’s political reform proposal for how the city elects its leader by universal suffrage for the first time in 2017 is based on a strict framework set by Beijing. The plan limits the number of candidates to two or three and requires them to win majority support from a 1,200 strong nominating committee. Arguing that this does not constitute genuine universal suffrage, pan-democratic lawmakers have vowed to reject the package, while pro-democracy groups have protested. The government’s resolution was to be put to a vote by the 70-member Legislative Council in June 2015, requiring a two-thirds majority to be passed.

POST OCCUPY CENTRAL - DAY 269

POST REFORM VOTE：DAY 84 (10-09-2015)

Full coverage of the day’s events  

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Parting shot as key Democrat resigns 

Democratic Party founding member Tik Chi- yuen has quit, citing differences with the party on how to achieve democracy in Hong Kong.

Tik also cited "external pressures" for making the party less tolerant.

"It is a pity that we have not become more tolerant and did not have space that allows different opinions due to external pressures," he wrote in an open letter.

But chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing dismissed his assertion, saying: "The party that I know, that I chair, is very open to dissenting views."

Despite the parting of ways, Lau wished Tik "all the best."

She said 60 percent of the party's central committee members had accepted Tik's resignation.

Lau said the party remains united and she is not worried the loss of Tik will prompt other departures.

Tik said the Democratic Party remains reliable and he expects opportunities to collaborate with it in future.

Tik has said he may form a new think tank with another former party member Nelson Wong Sing-chi, who was expelled in July for calling on pan-democratic lawmakers to accept the government's political reform package.

A moderate democrat, Tik was invited to attend last week's celebration in Beijing that marked Japan's surrender in World War II.

Tik said the new think tank would espouse moderate democracy in the hope of interactions with Beijing.



Call for change to poll rules

Acting chief magistrate Andrew Ma Hon-cheung yesterday called for amended laws to extend the time for handling voter registrations, after hearing hundreds of complaints for the third consecutive day.

Speaking at Sha Tin Magistracy, Ma said it was admirable for the Registration and Electoral Office to process and produce provisional registers of nearly 200,000 new voters within just 29 days.

But he said this was too short and should be extended by two weeks for the office to compile the register.

Ma also said that to require courts to inform complainants, hear their cases and process appeals within nine days is both unreasonable and ridiculous.

He noted the Judiciary has for years requested an amendment. The law should be amended, with four more weeks given to the Judiciary and the office to investigate complaints, and an extra week for courts to handle the appeals, he said.

Ma's remarks came as he handled over 300 voter registration complaints yesterday following more than 1,000 on Monday and Tuesday.

A spokesman from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said measures were introduced in early 2012 to strengthen the registration system's credibility and raise data accuracy.


The period for public inspection, complaints and court proceedings had been extended by 14 days since the 2015 registration cycle, he said.




Civic Party leader Alan Leong decides not to run in 2016 LegCo election

Civic Party leader and lawmaker Alan Leong Kah-kit has announced that he will not be running in the 2016 Legislative Council election, which would mark an end to his 12-year term as a legislator next year.

Leong told local media on Wednesday that he decided not to run for another term in LegCo, saying that he “has done too many things, but they did not seem very effective” in the past 12 years. He said he has not discussed the decision with his party.

He has also stepped down as convener of the Pan-Democratic Meetings, a weekly gathering formerly known as “lunch box meeting” which sees lawmakers in the pan-democracy camp get together over lunch to discuss political issues. Labour Party vice-chairwoman Cyd Ho Sau-lan took over the role on Wednesday.

Alan Leong Kah-kit. Photo: Facebook.
“It’s not like the world can’t function without any one particular person,” Leong said of his decision not to run.

He said that he would consider running again if Hong Kong’s political environment changes and if he feels he could make a difference. He added that he hoped new faces from the Civic Party could be given opportunities to bring change.

Leong had a word of advice for people hoping to become involved in politics. “I have seen people around me who are smarter than me, but who do not realise they are being manipulated by communists.”

Alan Leong Kah-kit was first elected to LegCo in 2004. He represented pro-democracy political group Basic Law Article 45 Concern Group, founded by a group of lawyers and academics striving for universal suffrage. The group later became the Civic Party in 2006. Leong has been the party’s leader since 2011.

He ran for chief executive in 2007 and was up against Donald Tsang, who later won. The two engaged in a live television debate, the first of its kind.

The Civic Party is currently represented by five lawmakers in LegCo: Leong, Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, Claudia Mo Man-ching, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok Wing-hang. Lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah left the party in July.