Talks may be a sign Beijing is offering an olive branch after discord over political reform - but party insiders fear an attempt to split the pan-democratic camp
STAFF REPORTER
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 27 August, 2015, 6:00pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 27 August, 2015, 6:49pm
Emily Lau was among the leading Democrats to join Wednesday's talks. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Beijing appears to be extending an olive branch to the Democratic Party, after a key official in charge of Hong Kong affairs called in leading members of the party for talks on Wednesday on issues including the city’s governance.
It was the first formal meeting since the Democrats and other pan-democratic lawmakers helped vote down a Beijing-dictated model for political reform proposal in June and three months ahead of November’s crunch district council elections..
Source revealed that Feng Wei, deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office called the meeting with leading Democrats including party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing. They discussed matters including problems of governance in the deeply divided city and the vexed question of political reform.
But the ice-breaking exchange was greeted with surprise and dissent from some party insiders. Some members said it was unwise for the leadership to meet Beijing officials without notifying the central committee, the party’s chief decision-making body.
“According to the past experience, the [Democratic Party] would only meet Beijing officials after detailed deliberation within the central committee,” said Southern district councillor Au Nok-hin, a committee member. He said it was undemocratic for the leadership to discuss how the meeting came about only after the talks took place.
Au said the party should focus on its community work for now, and suspected Beijing wanted to split the pan-democratic camp through such secret meetings ahead of the district council elections in November. The poll is the first city-wide electoral test since last year’s Occupy sit-ins and will see new groups initiated by young activists put up candidates, potentially against incumbents from traditional parties.
The party’s central committee has called a special meeting tonight to discuss the matter, and will meet the press afterwards.
The 2010 talks between Democrats and Beijing officials included Emily Lau (front, left) and Feng Wei (right). Photo: SCMP Pictures
In 2010, the Democrats were deeply split and ostracised from parts of the pan-democratic camp after they supported a political reform package following concessions drawn in behind-closed-doors talks with Beijing officials. Among those in attendance was Feng, who was director of the legal affairs department at Beijing’s liaison office at the time.
The Democrats lost ground in the district council elections of 2011 and the Legco poll a year later as it came under fire from more radical sectors of the camp, such as People Power. They accused the Democrats of treachery for approving the reforms, which saw the creation of 10 extra Legislative Council seats, but fell well short of the pan-democrats’ goal of a fully elected legislature.
Chinese University political scientist Dr Ma Ngok said the party was a bit unwise and insensitive to accept the invitation with the district council elections approaching.
“What do they want to achieve? Why would they want this meeting right now if there’s nothing to gain?” he said. “Many people might accept the Democrats communicating with central government officials, but it is a really sensitive time with elections ahead.”
Democrats could expect attacks from their radical erstwhile allies again, Ma said, though he expected the scale and political impact would be smaller than in 2011.
“The critics could not say what the Democrats have actually done,” he said – as opposed to last time, when the government reform plan was actually accepted.
People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip said the Democrats’ lack of transparency over the meeting would definitely disappoint many democracy supporters.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1853150/signs-thaw-hong-kong-democratic-party-officials-hold-behind
