THE TEMASEK REVIEW

From South China Morning Post

The Liberal Party, as its founding chairman frankly admits, has only itself to blame for the dramatic drop in membership. The plunge flows naturally from the party’s catastrophic election result last year and reflects a failure to connect with the public. But the 60 per cent shrinkage in the party’s ranks since the Legislative Council poll in September raises fresh questions about the future of party political development in our city.

The party has positioned itself as the voice of the business sector since it was founded 16 years ago. If it is now in decline, as seems to be the case, it will leave a vacuum which must be filled. As we move towards a political system based on universal and – hopefully – equal suffrage, it is vital that the business sector plays a role and is represented. But its interests must be aligned to those of the community. What is needed is a strong pro-business, pro-democracy party, with wide appeal, of the kind that exists in many other parts of the world.

This would require businesspeople to embrace party politics and democratic elections. It would be very much in their interests if the influence they currently enjoy through functional constituencies and direct access to government officials wanes as a result of democratic reforms. There are many capable people in the business sector who would have a lot to offer, if only they were prepared to get involved.

Hong Kong needs a more mature and sophisticated party system. The Liberal Party is not alone in having a small membership. The Civic Party has slightly fewer members, the Democratic Party just over 700 and the League of Social Democrats just under 1,000. These are paltry figures by international standards. Worryingly, young people make up only a small proportion of them, which does not bode well for the future. Only the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong can claim to have anything like a significant membership, numbering more than 12,000.

The low level of membership reflects a long-standing aversion to party politics which persists in Hong Kong 18 years after the first direct elections to the Legislative Council. People are reluctant to nail their colours to a party mast. Many of those who opt for a career in politics prefer to join small groups (which are often careful not to have the word “party” in their name). Roughly half of our lawmakers are independents. The result is a fragmented political scene that fails to present the public with clear choices or cohesive policy platforms when election day comes around.

Clearly the parties themselves need to do more to win over the public. Opinion polls consistently show a lack of public confidence in our politicians, with a majority stating that no political party adequately represents their views. Parties should be striving to develop a credible and comprehensive manifesto, to rid themselves of internal divisions and to form a strong base in the community.

The government can help by scrapping the law preventing the chief executive belonging to a political party and bringing legislators into government. Placing political parties on a firm legal footing, through a political party law, would boost their status and end the unsatisfactory requirement for them to register as a society or company.

None of these proposals is on the government’s agenda, as Hong Kong continues to treat party politics with suspicion. But action is needed. The Liberal Party may yet regroup and bounce back. Whether it does or not, the status of political parties must be improved to better prepare our city for a more democratic future.

Source: SCMP

EDITORS’ NOTE:

Temasek Review is a paid subscriber of the South China Morning Post.

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