Legislator Ronny Tong announced this afternoon that he is resigning from LegCo and the Civic Party (the pan-democratic party that he co-founded in 2006) over growing differences in values.
The decision was first announced to party members earlier today in an internal message in which Tong said that his goal to achieve a middle ground between pro-democracy Hongkongers and Beijing is no longer shared by the Civic Party.
“At the end of 2009, I had started to notice [that] the line the Civic Party [was] taking [was] deviating from its founding value. I had hoped, through my effort, to inspire the party [to look beyond] the sternest pro-democracy supporters and try to win over moderate Hongkongers too in order to strengthen the democratic movement,” he penned.
Tong also said that the decision to leave his party, the third largest in LegCo, was a “painful” one in a tear-choked press conference this afternoon.
In recent years, Tong’s moderate viewpoint on achieving universal suffrage in Hong Kong by forging a strong relationship with Beijing has caused tension between him and other party members.
Tong said in his letter that he has no hope that Hongkongers would accept democratic reforms presented by Beijing anytime in the future.
“Unfortunately after continuous efforts throughout these five years, it has [been] proven that it is only my personal political idea that is too far away and realistic,” the letter said.
Tong came to prominence in 2002 with his opposition to Article 23, a law that would have allowed the government to prohibit subversion against Beijing.
He created the Civic Party alongside five other members of LegCo in March 2006 in an effort to realise universal suffrage in the territory. Since then, he has represented the New Territories East constituency.
Earlier this month, Tong established a think-tank on political development called “Path to Democracy.”
He will continue to work with other pan-democrats and academics in discussing alternative ways to achieve democracy in Hong Kong.
Sources: SCMP and Apple Daily
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