CONFIDENTIAL
071357
160
MDLIAN
DEMOCRACY AND PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOOD, WHILE NOT OPPOSING TO DUAL MEMBERSHIP, HAS DECIDED TO RETAIN ITS OWN CHARACTER AND CONDUCT ITS AFFAIRS AS BEFORE, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF ELECTORAL SUPPORT FOR CANDIDATES WHICH IT ENDORSES. THE OTHER TWO GROUPS, VIZ MEETING POINT AND THE HONG KONG AFFAIRS SOCIETY, WOULD HAVE THEIR ROLE MORE CLEARLY DEFINED AS WATCH-DOGS ON POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS. SOME OF THE LIBERAL FIGURES, NOTABLY YEUNG SUM, HAVE RELINQUISHED THEIR OFFICIAL POSITIONS IN THESE TWO LATTER GROUPS TO CONCENTRATE ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE UDHK. THE OVERLAP OF MEMBERSHIP OF UDHK WITH THE HONG KONG ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT OF DEMOCRATIC PATRIOTIC MOVEMENTS IN CHINA IS RECOGNISED AS A HANDICAP. MARTIN LEE, AND SOME OTHER PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE UDHK, ARE REPORTED TO BE CONSIDERING THEIR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE ALLIANCE AT THE NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ALLIANCE IN AUGUST.
3. ACCORDING TO THE PRESS, THE UDHK IS DEVELOPING AN ELABORATE STRUCTURE TO CONDUCT ITS BUSINESS, INCLUDING LOCAL COMMITTEES IN DISTRICTS WITH STRONG LIBERAL INFLUENCE.
4. ON THE OTHER HAND, IN SPITE OF ITS INITIAL ENTHUSIASM, THE HONG KONG DEMOCRATIC FOUNDATION (REPORTED IN OUR TELNO 3035) SEEMS TO BE
INACTIVE.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS
5. DISAGREEMENT OVER THE PACE OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT HAS A MAJOR DIVISIVE EFFECT ON THE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL GROUPS. THE NEW HONG KONG ALLIANCE HAS OBVIOUSLY SUFFERED SOME SET BACK AS A RESULT OF ITS UNPOPULAR PROPOSAL FOR A BICAMERAL LEGISLATURE, WHICH LED TO A SPLIT OF ITS FOUNDING MEMBERSHIP. THOSE SUPPORTING THE 4:4:2 MODEL IS SEARCHING FOR A NEW POLITICAL ORGANISATION TO ACCOMMODATE
THEIR OUTLOOK AND ASPIRATION.
6. ON THE OTHER HAND, FOR SOME UNEXPLAINED REASONS, THE HONG KONG FOUNDATION (REPORTED IN OUR TELNO 1398) SEEMS TO HAVE SHATTERED WITH ALLEN LEE AND SELINA CHOW PUBLICLY DECLARING THEIR
DISSOCIATION FROM IT.
7. AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND, A NEW ALLIANCE, VIZ THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION, IS BEING FORMED. IT IS REPORTED TO BE COMPRISING STEPHEN CHEONG CHONG KONG FOUNDATION), JAMES TIEN, HU FA KUAN, PHILIP KWOK (PREVIOUSLY THOSE OF THE GROUP OF 89 IN SUPPORT OF THE 4:4:2 MODEL) AND MEMBERS OF THE PROGRESSIVE HONG KONG SOCIETY (A MAJOR MODERATE GROUP). ITS MAIN AIM WOULD BE TO CONTEST/ ELECTIONS AT VARIOUS LEVELS BUT WOULD NOT PUT DEMOCRACY AS ITS
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