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Liberal Party (Hong Kong)
Encyclopedia
Liberal Party is a business-friendly liberal conservative
political party
in Hong Kong
.
economic policies such as the opposition of a minimum wage, collective bargaining, and antitrust legislation. The party also supports limited government, low taxes, and a high degree of economic freedom
. The party has been fairly neutral on social issues such as universal suffrage, whilst opposing measures that disturb the public sentiment too greatly: the resignation from the Executive Council by its leader James Tien in 2003 prevented the implementation of Article 23
of the Basic Law
, which ultimately accelerated the downfall of the Tung administration.
The party does not advocate welfare entitlements. Many of its members are from the merchant and business sectors and see preserving the current state of economic freedom as being the most advantageous in general.
by the Government of Hong Kong
.
's administration, it was generally considered a government-ally. Since Donald Tsang
took over in November 2005, the party has continued its generally pro-government stance.
In 6 July 2003, James Tien Pei Chun
the leader of Liberal Party resigned from the Executive Council of Hong Kong
and forced the government to delay the second reading of the legislation to implement Article 23
of the Basic Law
. This exception to the party's usual pro-government policy was considered positive in temporarily calming the frictions between the pro-government and the pro-democracy supporters. Others such as those in the Leftist field, however, felt that this demonstrated the opportunistic nature of the party.
At almost the same time, the Liberal Party decided to shift its political stance from "all Legislation members should be directly elected in 2007" to "Hong Kong should become more democratic." The founder and ex-chair of Liberal Party, Allen Lee Peng Fei
, decided to leave the party since he believed the change was against public sentiments. Their stance in universal suffrage is now similar to that of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong
(DAB); namely, that universal suffrage should be implemented in or after 2012 rather than in 2007/8.
In 13 January 2006, the Liberal Party has opposed Chief Executive Donald Tsang
's plan of implementing a five day work week for most civil servants, due to concerns that this would put too much pressure on small to medium-sized enterprises to cut their working week down to five days as well. Many large enterprises are still deciding on this matter. Presently, most businesses offer a five and a half day working week. There is no planned legislation to force private employers to commit to a five day working week.
. With its success in gaining seats from the geographical constituencies through direct elections while retaining those seats in the functional constituencies, the party had its number of seats increased from seven (in 2000 elections) to ten, overtaking the Democratic Party
for the first time since 1995 and became the second-largest political party in the legislature.
The fate of the party hung in the balance after its poor showing in the 2008 Legco election
. The party won 7 seats, only in the functional constituencies
; leader James Tien and deputy leader Selina Chow
both lost their seats in the geographical constituency
polls following which they resigned their party functions. There were recriminations when Chow blamed the loss of her seat because Heung Yee Kuk
chairman and LP member Lau Wong-fat canvassed for the DAB during the elections. Former chairman Allen Lee
said that the party was now "doomed" following their poll defeat because of a succession crisis and lack of funding. On 9 October, three councillors, Jeffrey Lam
, Sophie Leung
, and Andrew Leung
, resigned from the Liberal Party, citing internal party disagreements. Lam had been courting for the party leadership since Tien's resignation, with support from Sophie Leung and Andrew Leung. These resignations, along with the resignation of Heung, reduces the Liberal Party from seven Legco councillors to three.
Liberal conservatism
Liberal conservatism also known as progressive conservatism is a variant of political conservatism which incorporates liberal elements. As "conservatism" and "liberalism" have had different meanings over time and across countries, the term "liberal conservatism" has been used in quite different...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Party beliefs
The party is known for its conservative and business-friendly policies. Despite being a political party friendly with Beijing, it fits in the centre-right political spectrum. Although not a libertarian party in the traditional sense, the Hong Kong Liberal Party is an example of a political party with libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
economic policies such as the opposition of a minimum wage, collective bargaining, and antitrust legislation. The party also supports limited government, low taxes, and a high degree of economic freedom
Economic freedom
Economic freedom is a term used in economic and policy debates. As with freedom generally, there are various definitions, but no universally accepted concept of economic freedom...
. The party has been fairly neutral on social issues such as universal suffrage, whilst opposing measures that disturb the public sentiment too greatly: the resignation from the Executive Council by its leader James Tien in 2003 prevented the implementation of Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
of the Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
, which ultimately accelerated the downfall of the Tung administration.
The party does not advocate welfare entitlements. Many of its members are from the merchant and business sectors and see preserving the current state of economic freedom as being the most advantageous in general.
History
It was originally founded as a party for businesspeople appointed to the Legislative CouncilLegislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
by the Government of Hong Kong
Government of Hong Kong
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR...
.
Changes in political stance
It has been alleged that the party began leaning towards the pro-government camp within a few years before the transfer of sovereignty. Under Tung Chee HwaTung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
's administration, it was generally considered a government-ally. Since Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
took over in November 2005, the party has continued its generally pro-government stance.
In 6 July 2003, James Tien Pei Chun
James Tien
James Tien Pei-chun GBS OBE JP is the former Chairman of the Liberal Party , a pro-business and pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong, and former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong . He was also a member of the District Council of Hong Kong in the Central and Western district...
the leader of Liberal Party resigned from the Executive Council of Hong Kong
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
and forced the government to delay the second reading of the legislation to implement Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
of the Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
. This exception to the party's usual pro-government policy was considered positive in temporarily calming the frictions between the pro-government and the pro-democracy supporters. Others such as those in the Leftist field, however, felt that this demonstrated the opportunistic nature of the party.
At almost the same time, the Liberal Party decided to shift its political stance from "all Legislation members should be directly elected in 2007" to "Hong Kong should become more democratic." The founder and ex-chair of Liberal Party, Allen Lee Peng Fei
Allen Lee
Allen Lee Peng Fei , CBE, JP, is a founding member of Liberal Party of Hong Kong, veteran Hong Kong politician, political programme radio host and TV host. Jonathan Dimbleby described him as a "weather vane" in his book The Last Governor.Lee was a senior member of the Legislative Council of Hong...
, decided to leave the party since he believed the change was against public sentiments. Their stance in universal suffrage is now similar to that of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong , formerly known as Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, is the largest pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong...
(DAB); namely, that universal suffrage should be implemented in or after 2012 rather than in 2007/8.
In 13 January 2006, the Liberal Party has opposed Chief Executive Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
's plan of implementing a five day work week for most civil servants, due to concerns that this would put too much pressure on small to medium-sized enterprises to cut their working week down to five days as well. Many large enterprises are still deciding on this matter. Presently, most businesses offer a five and a half day working week. There is no planned legislation to force private employers to commit to a five day working week.
Performance in elections
The Liberal Party saw its greatest success in the 2004 Legislative Council electionHong Kong legislative election, 2004
The 2004 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was held on 12 September 2004. The elections returned 30 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies, of which 11 were unopposed.-General...
. With its success in gaining seats from the geographical constituencies through direct elections while retaining those seats in the functional constituencies, the party had its number of seats increased from seven (in 2000 elections) to ten, overtaking the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
The Democratic Party is a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong. It was established on 2 October 1994. The party is currently the second largest party in the Legislative Council, headed by Chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan and, following the November 2008 merger with the Frontier, had around 745...
for the first time since 1995 and became the second-largest political party in the legislature.
The fate of the party hung in the balance after its poor showing in the 2008 Legco election
Hong Kong legislative election, 2008
The 2008 Hong Kong legislative election was held on 7 September 2008 for the 4th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There are 60 seats in the 4th Council, with 30 Members elected by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and...
. The party won 7 seats, only in the functional constituencies
Functional constituency
In the political systems of Hong Kong and Macau, a functional constituency is a professional or special interest group involved in the electoral process...
; leader James Tien and deputy leader Selina Chow
Selina Chow
Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee, GBS OBE JP was a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. She was the former vice-chairman of the Liberal Party . She is also well-known in Hong Kong for her career in broadcasting.An alumnus of St...
both lost their seats in the geographical constituency
Geographical constituency
In Hong Kong and Macau, geographical constituencies, as opposed to functional constituencies, are elected by all eligible voters according to geographically demarcated constituencies. There are currently 5 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong...
polls following which they resigned their party functions. There were recriminations when Chow blamed the loss of her seat because Heung Yee Kuk
Heung Yee Kuk
The Heung Yee Kuk is a statutory advisory body representing the indigenous inhabitants of New Territories, Hong Kong.Colloquially shortened to 'the Kuk'.-History:...
chairman and LP member Lau Wong-fat canvassed for the DAB during the elections. Former chairman Allen Lee
Allen Lee
Allen Lee Peng Fei , CBE, JP, is a founding member of Liberal Party of Hong Kong, veteran Hong Kong politician, political programme radio host and TV host. Jonathan Dimbleby described him as a "weather vane" in his book The Last Governor.Lee was a senior member of the Legislative Council of Hong...
said that the party was now "doomed" following their poll defeat because of a succession crisis and lack of funding. On 9 October, three councillors, Jeffrey Lam
Jeffrey Lam
Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, SBS, MBE, JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the Commercial functional constituency. He was a long-term member of Hong Kong's Liberal Party, and, in September 2008, was nominated as the party's chairman, following the resignation of James...
, Sophie Leung
Sophie Leung
Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, GBS, JP is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the Textiles and Garment functional constituency. She is a member of "3L," or Economic Synergy.She works as a director in her garment company...
, and Andrew Leung
Andrew Leung
Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, SBS, JP is the member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the Industrial functional constituency. He is a member of 3L, or Economic Synergy.-Political career:Leung is Chairman of both the and the...
, resigned from the Liberal Party, citing internal party disagreements. Lam had been courting for the party leadership since Tien's resignation, with support from Sophie Leung and Andrew Leung. These resignations, along with the resignation of Heung, reduces the Liberal Party from seven Legco councillors to three.
| Election | Number of votes for Liberal Party | Share of votes | Geographical constituency seats | Functional constituency seats | Elections committee seats | Total seats |
| 1995 | 15,126 | 1.64% | 1 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| 1998 Hong Kong legislative election, 1998 The 1998 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was held on 24 May 1998. The elections returned 20 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies, of which 10 were uncontested.-Geographical... |
50,335 | 3.40% | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000 Hong Kong legislative election, 2000 The 2000 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was held on 10 September 2000. The elections returned 24 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies,of which 9 uncontested.-General... |
24,858 | 1.88% | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 2004 Hong Kong legislative election, 2004 The 2004 Hong Kong legislative election for members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong was held on 12 September 2004. The elections returned 30 members from directly elected geographical constituencies and 30 members from functional constituencies, of which 11 were unopposed.-General... |
118,997 | 6.67% | 2 | 8 | − | 10 |
| 2008 Hong Kong legislative election, 2008 The 2008 Hong Kong legislative election was held on 7 September 2008 for the 4th Legislative Council since the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. There are 60 seats in the 4th Council, with 30 Members elected by geographical constituencies through direct elections, and... |
65,622 | 4.33% | 0 | 7 | − | 7 |
List of chairmen
- Allen LeeAllen LeeAllen Lee Peng Fei , CBE, JP, is a founding member of Liberal Party of Hong Kong, veteran Hong Kong politician, political programme radio host and TV host. Jonathan Dimbleby described him as a "weather vane" in his book The Last Governor.Lee was a senior member of the Legislative Council of Hong...
(1993–1998) - James Tien (1998–2008)
- Miriam LauMiriam LauMiriam Lau Kin Yee, GBS, OBE, JP , former married name Miriam Lau Lau Kin Yee, is a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong , representing the transport industry functional constituency...
(2008-)
External links
- Liberal Party official site (Click 'English' in the top right-hand corner for the English version)