Veteran Democrat Martin Lee sets next Hong Kong leader two conditions to get party on board

Party founder says chief executive-elect must restart electoral reform process and pick cabinet without Beijing’s interference

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Martin Lee says Beijing has failed its promise to Hongkongers of universal suffrage. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 9:30pm, 7 Apr 2017Updated: 2:39pm, 12 Oct 2017

Hong Kong’s next leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor must restart the stalled electoral reform process and form her cabinet without Beijing’s interference if she wants to get a Democrat on board, the party’s founding chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming said on Friday.

Lee laid down the two conditions after veteran Democrat Dr Law Chi-kwong, a University of Hong Kong social policy academic, was believed to have been approached by the chief executive-elect to serve as a minister.

Law declined to comment to the Post.

The Democratic Party, the Civic Party, and the Professionals Guild, formed by seven pan-democratic lawmakers, said they had received an invitation from Lam to meet as her first step in forging social unity.

The Democratic Party’s central standing committee decided on Thursday night to uphold its policy of barring members from serving as ministers or executive councillors until the city’s leader was elected by universal suffrage.

“Mrs Lam needs to show she’s genuine in bringing democracy to Hong Kong,” Lee, who was not on the party committee but agreed with its decision, said on Friday. “She must restart the process for reform of universal suffrage, which Beijing has promised Hongkongers but denied them for 20 years. Nothing else can help her win pan-democrats over to her side.”