The Disbanding of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong: The End of an Era
On February 20th 2025, the chairman of Hong Kong's Democratic Party (DPHK), Mr. Lo Kin-hei, announced the party's plan to dissolve, marking the end of the oldest and erstwhile largest opposition group in the city. Whilst this may shock those who do not follow closely Hong Kong's affairs, the party’s political stances and recent hardships show it was destined for dissolution, an argument I will elaborate alongside the impacts of this decision for Asia’s world city.
Founded in 1994, the DPHK merged two major pro-democracy parties, the United Democrats of Hong Kong and the Meeting Point. It won the most seats in the 1995 Legislative Council Election, the first and only fully elected legislative election in the city's colonial era. After the handover of Hong Kong to China, DPHK remained the largest opposition party in the Legislative Council until 2020, when the National Security Law (NSL) was enacted.
Since its establishment, the party has been a keen advocate of democracy, freedom, and human rights. It was actively involved in various social movements, including the Umbrella Movement in 2014 and the Anti-Extradition Bills protest in 2019, aiming to strengthen the city's autonomy from Beijing's hands. In contrast to the pro-independence group, DPHK vowed against separating Hong Kong from China. It was rather seen as a moderate liberal party against political radicalism and stressed the importance of negotiating with the Chinese Central Government regarding the city's political reforms. Yet, the party's empathy towards protestors in the 2019 movement, a foreign-funded anti-China riot according to the Chinese Government, aroused discontent from the central authority and laid the roots for its disbanding.
After the official enforcement of the NSL in July 2020, the retaliation of the Hong Kong and central government against the pro-democracy camp, including DPHK, began. The local authority first disqualified four sitting legislators in November 2020, leading to the resignation of all remaining pro-democracy legislators. In January 2021, 55 pro-democracy advocates in the city, including several DPHK members and its then-chairman, Mr. Wu Chi-wai, were arrested, of which 47 faced charges of conspiracy to commit subversion under the NSL. The authority also aimed to completely wipe out the force of, according to its rhetoric, "opposing China and disrupting Hong Kong", through requiring all District Councillors to take a "patriotic" oath, leading to a mass resignation of 260 pro-democracy councillors. Following the disqualification of 55 pro-democracy councillors later, the political influence of DPHK was completely eliminated from the institution, with no seats in the Legislative Council and the District Council, revealing its ultimate destiny of dissolution.
Another reason for the party's fall is its de-facto social death. Since the enforcement of the NSL, many members quit the party to minimise their legal risks. The party now only accommodates around 400 members in a city with more than 7 million residents. Admittedly, the party did make attempts to move itself from the edge back to the centre of the political stage by holding news briefings on livelihood issues and submitting proposals to the Government, yet these efforts were barely acknowledged among the public and the authorities due to the change in political climate. The party also faced a boycott from the business sector. It tried to make restaurant reservations to organise banquets for party gatherings but faced multiple forced cancellations due to "unforeseeable conditions.” The social death of DPHK made it impossible to continue its policy advocacy, making its dissolution inevitable.
The disbanding of DPHK is, in the eyes of the Hong Kong and central government, an immense political victory. Eradicating the symbol of the city's democratic movement means that the political climate in Hong Kong has been largely "purified" and that the Government's mission to "turn Hong Kong from chaos to governance" has been completed. Without genuine dissenting voices challenging the authorities, it seems no surprise that Xia Baolong, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Work Office of the Chinese Communist Party, claimed "Hong Kong's tomorrow is destined to be bright.”
Yet, it is crucial to note that this so-called political victory may come at a cost. Since the enforcement of the NSL, many Western capitals and institutions withdrew from Hong Kong to mitigate the business risk. Hence, the Chief Executive, Mr. John Lee Ka-chiu, repeatedly encourages different business sectors to tell "good Hong Kong stories", hoping to restore foreign investors' confidence. However, the dissolution of DPHK proved once again that the business environment in the city has fundamentally changed, which may prompt foreign investors to re-evaluate the risk of entering the market, offsetting John Lee and his governing team's promotion efforts.
Lastly, the dissolution of DPHK could serve as a wake-up call for the few remaining pro-democracy political organisations. Given the loss of public support and exclusion from the institutions of government, these organisations should reconsider their raison d'être under Hong Kong's current political climate.
The future of the city remains uncertain. Much like the Star Ferry sailing into uncharted waters, it is unclear where the ferry will go next, but one thing is certain – it will not return to its home port, Victoria Harbour.
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