Hong Kong elections: middle of the road, or middle of nowhere? A look at moderate hopefuls in the Legco poll, and if the centrist flame still burns

With the mainstream opposition bloc out of the picture, candidates in niche group say they champion an independent voice, but voter support is far from clear

Critics point out shrinking space for middle ground in city politics, especially after 2019 social unrest and imposition of national security law

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Path of Democracy candidate for the Kowloon East geographical constituency Jeffrey Chan campaigns in Lam Tin. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 8:00am, 9 Dec 2021Updated: 4:25pm, 9 Dec 2021

Hong Kong is set to hold its Legislative Council election on December 19, the first citywide poll since Beijing revamped the electoral system to ensure only “patriots” hold political power. In the final instalment of a four-part election series, Jeffie Lam looks into whether the so-called moderate faction can gain traction in Hong Kong politics, as mainstream opposition parties sit out the poll.

Neither “yellow” nor “blue”. Neither pan-democratic nor pro-establishment. This was the space in Hong Kong politics that former lawmaker Ronny Tong Ka-wah wanted to carve out when he founded the Path of Democracy think tank in 2015.

The organisation was born the year after the Occupy movement brought parts of the city to a standstill for 79 days as protesters sought to press the government for universal suffrage and which left society deeply polarised. Tong, now a senior adviser to the city’s leader, called his new group a “third path”.

The organisers said at the time they wanted to offer ideas and candidates distinct from the pro-establishment camp, which they accused of lacking independence from Beijing, and the opposition bloc, which they said did not have the will “to negotiate and solve problems”.

Ronny Tong, veteran politician and adviser to the city’s leader, founded Path of Democracy in 2015. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

But six years later and party member Jeffrey Chan Chun-hung admits he avoids using the phrase “third path” when meeting residents as he campaigns ahead of the Legislative Council election on December 19.

“They have no idea what that means,” said Chan, who is running for one of the two seats in the geographical constituency of Kowloon East. “It will take me 30 minutes to explain the concept, but I don’t have that many half-hours.”

Instead, the 44-year-old company director simply tells his constituents he is “not from the pro-establishment camp”, with his manifesto centred on restarting reforms for universal suffrage.

Chan is among about a dozen moderates competing in the Legco race, the first since Beijing revamped the city’s electoral system to ensure only “patriots” hold political power but which mainstream opposition parties are sitting out.

SCMP Series

Inside Hong Kong’s Legco election

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