Hong Kong’s Civic Party might disband if no one takes over executive committee posts, the party’s chairperson has said.
Alan Leong, chairperson of the pro-democracy party, told HKFP on Tuesday that none of the current seven executive committee members, including himself, wanted to stay for another term.
The Civic Party held a deliberation meeting last month attended by about 20 members, Leong said.
“There was a consensus reached at that meeting, mainly, if the Civic Party has to go on, we have to find something that we can do, and we have to find people who are willing to take up the offices of the executive committee,” said the former lawmaker.
After the meeting, Leong sent a letter to all Civic Party members to inform them of the consensus, and to let them voice their opinions.
No members had reached out to Leong to express an interest in taking up executive committee posts, but the chairperson said it was “not to his surprise.”
“This is only the beginning of the process, we have to wait for a bit,” said Leong.
The party has to hold a general meeting by January next year in order to fulfil the requirements of the Company Ordinance, the ex-lawmaker said, and the party might have to disband if no one steps in to take up committee posts.
“We can’t wait until that late, because we have to make preparations for the AGM,” said Leong.
When asked if he could still see room in Hong Kong politics for the Civic Party to continue its work, Leong said it was a “very difficult situation.“
“I can only say this is a very difficult situation, that explains why, I think, all seven executive committee members expressed their view that they would want to step down, and also, as of now, nobody steps forward, wanting to take up the positions.”
The Civic Party, founded in 2006, did not take part in the Legislative Council election last year after the city’s electoral system was drastically overhauled, reducing democratic representation in the legislature, tightening control of elections and introducing a pro-Beijing vetting panel to select candidates.
Following the enactment of the Beijing-imposed national security law, four ex-members of the party who have been charged under the sweeping legislation – Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki, Jeremy Tam, and Lee Yue-shun, urged the group to disband in an open letter made public in April last year, saying that the Civic Party had “completed its historical mission.”
The four ex-members are among the 47 democrats charged over their roles in an unofficial primary election for the then-postponed Legislative Council election.
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