"Establishment of Livelihood Party" and "Issue of Hong Kong Stay Awards": The Two Must-Do Matters after the Ice-Breaking Trip

16 September 2005

Ten Hong Kong Legislators affiliated with the democrats, namely Lee Wing-tat, Albert Ho, Martin Lee, Cheung Man-kwong, Yeung Sum, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Yiu-chung, Emily Lau, Andrew Cheng and Leung Kwok-hung, are not currently in possession of China's Homeland Return Permit. Before they set off their 2-day journey to China, their legislator offices received the Application Form for Entry and Exit Permit of the People's Republic of China (for Hong Kong and Macau Compatriots only), instead of the HRP application form used by the ethnic Chinese Hong Kong people, forwarded by the Chief Executive Office. In the Entry and Exit Permit application form, the field "number of entry" allows for only one option, that is, "one". The Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat hopes the HKSAR regime will petition China to issue them a 10-year Homeland Return Permit.

On September 15 some democrats-affiliated legislators discussed their upcoming 2-day visit to China and decided that, while meeting with Chinese officials during the trip, they would not bring up any political issues except 8 livelihood-related issues, nor would they hand Chinese officials any countersigned letter of opinions, as they believe that individual legislators might write Chinese officials on their own, if necessary. Ronny Tong, member of the Article 45 Concern Group in LegCo, said that during the 2-day trip to China the LegCo members will only meet with the Guangdong-based Chinese officials and thus it will be inappropriate to confront Chinese local officials on the thorny issue of redressing June 4 Massacre. The Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat is reluctant to admit whether or not the democrats have forged consensus on the petition for redress of June 4 Massacre.

A critic of the Hong Konger Front suggests that the Democratic Party should achieve breakthrough in the following three issues in order to bring the spirit of the Party into full play.

(1) Serving the Hong Kong people in the capacity as legislator rather than Hong Kong deputy to China's National People's Congress, Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers' visions of possessing a China's Homeland Return Permit is not justified at all! How will a China's Homeland Return Permit benefit Hong Kong lawmakers except that the passport allows Hong Kongers to cross the border to sleep with prostitutes? Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers should not "fight" for the right to be issued a Homeland Return Permit; instead, the Democratic Party should grant a Hong Kong Stay Award to whoever live and work in Hong Kong 365 days a year. The Award has two purposes. First, admiring the award-winners' contribution to Hong Kong's economy. Second, admiring the award-winners' patriotic attitude toward the Hong Kong community.

(2) Paying lip service to June 4 Massacre victims is hypocrisy. The Hong Kong Democratic Party has been chanting slogans about the redress of June 4 Massacre, but rarely do Hong Kong people hear of the Party lending financial support, through related channels or indirectly, to any June 4 Massacre victim's family. Now the Hong Kong democrats hesitate to shout the slogans during this short journey in China for fear of angering the authoritarian Beijing regime. So, is there any alternative whereby the Democratic Party may mitigate the unpredictable outcome of their betraying their deceased Chinese counterparts? The answer is affirmative. The Democratic Party may consider giving the June 4 Massacre victims' families one-tenth of the donations the Party receives from Hong Kong people annually. When contemplating on this suggestion, the Democratic Party should ask themselves three questions. First, is the Democratic Party able to become as strong as it is today without the June 4 Massacre? Second, can the Democratic Party selfishly forget the Chinese victims in the June 4 Massacre? Thirdly, won't Beijing regime be happy with 10-1 instead of 6-4, will it?

(3) The Democratic Party should rename the Party as "Livelihood Party" in order to win Beijing regime's confidence, or at least the Party should amend its name and start to call itself "Livelihood and Democracy Party" in order to gain advantages from both Beijing regime and Hong Kongers.

28 September 2005, PS: " Livelihood Party", the Democratic Party's new name, will be both excellent and appropriate for the Party. The Sing Tao Daily reveals that, in an interview conducted to Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat immediately after the democrats' 2-day trip to China, Lee said, "Democratic Party cannot just talk about June 4 Massacre and political system, as Democratic Party should not stick to a single theme; instead, Democratic Party will discuss economic and livelihood-related issues more often than before. I am going to bring up the issue about economic cooperation in Pearl Delta at a House Committee Meeting of the LegCo."

Democratic Party Chairman Lee Wing-tat