{"id":7462,"date":"2015-03-17T22:55:24","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T14:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=7462"},"modified":"2022-06-17T16:00:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T08:00:49","slug":"young-candidates-district-councils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2015\/03\/young-candidates-district-councils\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth March to the Polls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young people preserve the spirit of Occupy Movement by joining elections<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Natale Ching and Venice Lai<\/strong><\/p>\n

September 28, 2014 was the most unforgettable day in the 21 years of Wong Sui-lung\u2019s life. On that day, the Hong Kong government fired 87 canisters of tear gas at non-violent protesters in Admiralty and set in motion what would become the 79-day Occupy Movement in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

Wong, who was a steward for Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP), was enraged by the police\u2019s use of excessive violence against unarmed protesters. But he was also heartened to see many friends he had thought were politically apathetic coming out to support the movement after the scenes broadcast on television. \u201cWhen I saw that Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay and even Mong Kok were crowded with citizens striving for democracy, I started to believe that there is hope for Hong Kong,\u201d says Wong.<\/p>\n

Although the Occupy Movement eventually came to an end with the police clearing out the occupied sites and arresting the last protesters, its spirit continues in other forms. The movement awakened a whole generation of young people who stood up and voiced their strong desire for genuine democracy.<\/p>\n

Initiated by a students\u2019 class boycott campaign against the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC)\u2019s restrictive framework for electing Hong Kong\u2019s Chief Executive by universal suffrage, the Occupy Movement grew to become the largest student-led protest in the history of Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

The end of the occupation without winning any concessions from the government has left some participants struggling to find a way to extend and build upon its achievements. Some young people have set their sights on District Council elections later this year as a starting point for changing the established system and directly spreading the concept of democracy to communities across Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

Wong Sui-lung – who quit his office job during the Occupy Movement – is now considering standing in the upcoming District Council elections. As a member of Umbrella Blossom<\/a>, a group of former OCLP volunteers, Wong has been visiting districts like Sham Shui Po and Shatin to spread the spirit of the Umbrella Movement to local residents. Wong now spends most Sundays in Shatin, where he lives, setting up booths, distributing flyers and knocking on doors.<\/p>\n

His work does not always go smoothly. Wong recalls confronting a group of residents with opposing views during one of his community visits in Sham Shui Po. Wong and his friends were scolded and accused of creating chaos by crowds who surrounded their booth. But by reasoning with them Wong managed to turn the dispute into a constructive discussion. \u201cIt\u2019s actually not that bad,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if we can\u2019t persuade them [the blue ribbons], when a group of people are listening\u2026some neutral citizens may find our arguments reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience motivated Wong to stand for election. He believes as a district councillor, he could make use of the district council\u2019s resources to do community work without being heckled in the streets. Eventually, he hopes to change people\u2019s mindsets and raise their awareness of and involvement in community affairs.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wong is not fighting a lone battle. Early in November 2014, a group of netizens on the popular Golden Forum discussion site initiated a \u201c2015 District Council\u201d project to gather young people who are interested in contesting the polls. For each district, they have created Facebook and WhatsApp groups to exchange information and organised regular meetings to discuss their election campaigns.<\/p>\n

Golden Forum netizen Kelvin Cheong Kok-man joined the Tung Chung District Council election support group after the Occupy Movement. Recently, he joined the campaign team and starting offering technical support to 21-year-old Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, who plans to stand in Tung Chung South.<\/p>\n

Unlike Wong Sui-lung, Sheep Wong who works as a community development officer for the youth group, We are the Future Campaign<\/a>, says he decided to stand because he is disappointed with the pan-democrats\u2019 performance during the Occupy Movement. \u201cEver since that time when the pan-democrats asked us [the protesters] to retreat from Queensway, I have been utterly disappointed with all the pan-democratic parties,\u201d says Wong. \u201cThey are like slaves and pessimists, giving in to everything as if they thought this servile method can really achieve something.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong has held the Tung Chung South seat for 17 years. To compete, Wong plans to set up booths starting from 6 a.m. every day and organise activities like home visits. He believes the only way to defeat the pro-establishment camp\u2019s handouts strategy (\u86c7\u9f4b\u9905\u7cc9) is to be more diligent and develop a good relationship with residents. \u201cIf they remember your name and you become part of their discussion, you have a chance of winning,\u201d says Wong.<\/p>\n

Witnessing young people\u2019s political awakening in the Occupy Movement, 29-year-old Edward Lau Wai-tak has recently founded YOU\u00ae+<\/a>, a non-profit organisation which assists prospective candidates under age 30 with no political background and who support genuine democracy – like Wong Sui-lung and Sheep Wong Chun-yeung \u2013 to run for the district council elections.<\/p>\n

\"Edward
Edward Lau Wai-tak,
founder of YOU\u00ae+<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lau, who was a volunteer \u201cdefending\u201d the barricades on the Occupy frontline, says he has raised HK$2 million through crowdfunding and can offer each candidate a maximum of HK$53,800. Apart from funds, the group can also provide assistance in the form of manpower, technical support and social connections. Lau says he will encourage young candidates not to compete with pan-democratic candidates but it will not be a requirement for support.<\/p>\n

Lau is optimistic about the impact of the young people\u2019s political participation. \u201cYoung people are innocent and idealistic. They are not bound by the responsibilities of work, therefore they can step forward,\u201d says Lau. \u201cAt least they can change the atmosphere of the district council elections. More importantly, more people will vote in the elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also advocating young people to register as voters and [educating them] on the importance of the district council elections, hoping to motivate more people to vote. Only by doing this can we achieve democracy,\u201d says Lau.<\/p>\n

However, work as a district councillor can be more challenging than the young candidates might imagine. Veteran District Councillor Leung Yiu-chung has been serving Kwai Tsing district for 30 years. He agrees that maintaining a close relationship with residents is the key to winning the district council elections, but the situation is more complicated this time. His experience suggests that the Occupy Movement may be more of a hindrance than a help in the first large-scale election in the post-Occupy era.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently when I visited the residents to help them install water savers, some of them told me that although they have been voting for me for many years, if I didn\u2019t come that day, they wouldn\u2019t vote for me again because I\u2019m involved in the Occupy Movement,\u201d Leung sighs.<\/p>\n

Leung warns the young candidates to brace for the worst, and prepare for the possibility that they may be fighting a losing battle. Though it may seem nearly impossible to change people\u2019s mindsets, he urges young people to persevere. \u201cRunning for district council elections is not like eating instant noodles. It takes time. And young people have a lot of time. Fail once, fail twice, fail thrice, it doesn\u2019t matter. Treat it as an experience. Don\u2019t just give up easily,\u201d says Leung.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ma Ngok, the head of the Department of Government and Public Administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, predicts that young candidates who join the district council elections after the Occupy Movement have little chance of winning. \u201cMost districts are occupied by the pro-establishment camp, and there is at least one pan-democratic candidate working on each of the remaining districts,\u201d says Ma.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, he thinks unless these young candidates coordinate with pan-democratic candidates, the pro-democratic vote may be split and eventually lead to a lose-lose situation for both parties, making the pro-establishment camp the biggest winner in the district council elections.<\/p>\n

Seeing that there is a slim chance of winning the district council elections, some young people, like Hong Kong Federation of Students Standing Committee member Tommy Cheung Sau-yin, are advocating alternative ways to preserve the spirit of the Occupy Movement. \u201cForming political parties makes the political demands of this generation more concrete, invoking a larger and broader political discussion,\u201d says Cheung.<\/p>\n

Cheung does not believe that joining the established system through district councils is an effective way to achieve political goals, as winning elections will take precedence over principles once young candidates become a part of the system. He cites the Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People\u2019s Livelihood as an example, saying the party seldom talks about political reform and the Occupy Movement to avoid losing votes.<\/p>\n

However, for Professor Eric Cheung Tat-ming from the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong, joining the established system is an essential component of democracy. \u201cDiversification and division of labour are important for democracy. We need to have different people taking up different roles,\u201d says Cheung.<\/p>\n

\"Sheep
Sheep Wong Chun-yeung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sheep Wong Chun-yeung also believes that it is necessary for young people to join the established system to challenge the rules of the pro-establishment camp\u2019s game. \u201cYou can\u2019t beat them [the pro-establishment camp] unless you join the election. You must kick them away through votes,\u201d Wong says firmly. \u201cThere is no turning back. We will go as far as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fellow prospective candidate Wong Sui-lung frankly admits there is little chance for young candidates to win this year\u2019s district council elections, but thinks defeat should not be the end of their path to democracy, but rather, the starting point. \u201cWe are not just focusing on this year, but maybe four or even eight years later. When we have changed the game rules, the pro-establishment camp\u2019s handouts strategy on community work may collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe if we follow this direction, Hong Kong people have the potential to upend the status quo,\u201d says Wong.<\/p>\n

Edited by John Cheng<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Occupy Movement was a large-scale civic awakening for Hong Kong young’s people. In the post-Occupy era, they are seeking ways to preserve the spirit of the movement and spread the concept of democracy to local communities. Some of them consider joining the District Council elections later this year as a way to change the established system. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1964,362,7],"tags":[22,88,346,45],"class_list":["post-7462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issue-135","category-march-2015-civic-awakening","category-periscope","tag-democracy","tag-elections","tag-umbrella-movement","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7462"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21215,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462\/revisions\/21215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}