Partial democratization, 'foundation moment' and political parties in Hong Kong

China Quarterly

Volumn , Issue 163, 2000, Pages 705-720

  Siu Kai, Lau ^a   Hsin chi, Kuan ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEMOCRATIZATION; PARTY POLITICS; POST-COLONIALISM; PUBLIC ATTITUDE;

CHINA; HONG KONG;

EID: 0033807985     PISSN: 00094439     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/s0305741000014624     Document Type: Article

References (35)

1. The sample used in the questionnaire survey was drawn by means of a multi-stage design. The target population was Chinese inhabitants in Hong Kong aged 18 years old or over. Since the full list of such adults was impossible to obtain, we used the list of permanent and residential areas from the Census and Statistics Department's computerized Sub-Frame of Living Quarters. With the assistance of the Department, a replicated systematic sample of 2,500 addresses was selected which, after the exclusion of vacant, demolished and unidentifiable addresses, plus those without Chinese residents, was reduced to 2,127. The next stage of sampling involved the selection of households and eligible respondents. Interviews were required to call at each address. If there were two or more households, only one would be selected according to a random selection table. For each selected household, the interviewer listed all persons aged 18 years old or over, and the respondent was then selected by means of a random selection grid (a modified Kish grid). Face-to-face interviews with structured questionnaires were carried out by interviewers recruited from local tertiary institutions, mainly the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Fieldwork was conducted mostly during 25 May and 26 June 1998. At the end of the survey, 988 cases were successfully completed, yielding a response rate of 46.5 per cent which can be considered satisfactory in the context of Hong Kong.
2. Lau Siu-kai, "Decolonization à la Hong Kong: Britain's search for governability and exit with glory in Hong Kong," The Journal of Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, Vol. 35, No. 2 (July 1997), pp. 28-54.
3. Lau Siu-kai, "Hong Kong's path of democratization," Swiss Asian Studies, Vol. 49, No. 1 (1995), pp. 71-90.
4. Lau Siu-kai, From the "Through Train" to "Setting Up the New Stove": Sino-British Row Over the Election of the Hong Kong Legislature (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998), and "The making of the electoral system," in Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Timothy Ka-ying Wong (eds.), Power Transfer and Electoral Politics: The First Legislative Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1999), pp. 3-35. See also Kathleen Cheek-Milby, A Legislature Comes of Age: Hong Kong's Search for Influence and Identity (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1995).
5. Lau Siu-kai, From the "Through Train" to "Setting Up the New Stove": Sino-British Row Over the Election of the Hong Kong Legislature (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998), and "The making of the electoral system," in Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Timothy Ka-ying Wong (eds.), Power Transfer and Electoral Politics: The First Legislative Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1999), pp. 3-35. See also Kathleen Cheek-Milby, A Legislature Comes of Age: Hong Kong's Search for Influence and Identity (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1995).
6. Lau Siu-kai, From the "Through Train" to "Setting Up the New Stove": Sino-British Row Over the Election of the Hong Kong Legislature (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998), and "The making of the electoral system," in Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Timothy Ka-ying Wong (eds.), Power Transfer and Electoral Politics: The First Legislative Election in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1999), pp. 3-35. See also Kathleen Cheek-Milby, A Legislature Comes of Age: Hong Kong's Search for Influence and Identity (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1995).
7. Lau Siu-kai, Public Attitude Toward Political Parties in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992).
8. Lau Siu-kai. Democratization, Poverty of Political Leaders, and Political Inefficacy in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998).
9. Instead of the labels "pro-London" and "pro-Beijing," the labels of pro-Britain and pro-China are used in common parlance in Hong Kong. However, for the sake of conceptual clarity, the former pair are used in this article.
10. See for example Lo Shiu-hing, "Political opposition, co-optation and democratization: the case of Hong Kong," in Li Pang-kwong (ed.), Political Order and Power Transition in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1997), pp. 127-157.
11. See Lau Siu-kai and Louie Kin-sheun (eds.), Hong Kong Tried Democracy: The 1991 Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993); Rowena Kwok, Joan Leung and Ian Scott (eds.), Votes Without Power: The Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1992); Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Wong Ka-ying (eds.), The 1995 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996); and Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics.
12. See Lau Siu-kai and Louie Kin-sheun (eds.), Hong Kong Tried Democracy: The 1991 Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993); Rowena Kwok, Joan Leung and Ian Scott (eds.), Votes Without Power: The Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1992); Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Wong Ka-ying (eds.), The 1995 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996); and Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics.
13. See Lau Siu-kai and Louie Kin-sheun (eds.), Hong Kong Tried Democracy: The 1991 Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993); Rowena Kwok, Joan Leung and Ian Scott (eds.), Votes Without Power: The Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1992); Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Wong Ka-ying (eds.), The 1995 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996); and Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics.
14. See Lau Siu-kai and Louie Kin-sheun (eds.), Hong Kong Tried Democracy: The 1991 Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993); Rowena Kwok, Joan Leung and Ian Scott (eds.), Votes Without Power: The Hong Kong Legislative Council Elections (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1992); Kuan Hsin-chi, Lau Siu-kai, Louie Kin-sheun and Wong Ka-ying (eds.), The 1995 Legislative Council Elections in Hong Kong (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996); and Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics.
15. See Garry Rodan (ed.), Political Oppositions in Industrialising Asia (London: Routledge, 1996).
16. Kuan Hsin-chi and Lau Siu-kai, "The partial vision of democracy in Hong Kong: a survey of popular opinion," The China Journal, No. 34 (July 1995), pp. 239-264.
17. Chris K.H. Yeung, "Political parties," in Joseph Y.S. Cheng (ed.), The Other Hong Kong Report 1997 (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1997), pp. 49-70.
18. Scott Mainwaring and Timothy R. Scully, "Introduction: party systems in Latin America," in Mainwaring and Scully (eds.), Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1995), p. 20.
19. Angelo Panebianco, Political Parties: Organization & Power (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), p. 50.
20. Lau Siu-kai, "The fraying of the socioeconomic fabric of Hong Kong," The Pacific Review, Vol. 10, No. 3 (1997), pp. 426-441.
21. Lau Siu-Kai, "The eclipse of politics in the Hong Kong Special Adminstrative Region," Asian Affairs, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Spring 1998), pp. 38-46.
22. Lau Siu-kai, "The rise and decline of political support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government," Government and Opposition, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Summer 1999), pp. 352-371.
23. See the bi-monthly polls conducted by the Home Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government since May 1998.
24. Timothy Ka-ying Wong, "Issue voting," in Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics, pp. 105-129.
25. Lau Siu-kai, "Livelihood issues take a back seat," South China Morning Post, 17 May 1998, p. 11.
26. Based on survey data, Milan Tung-wen Sun found that party voting (defined as vote for the candidates from the party with which the voters identified) in Hong Kong was strongly associated with the strength of partisanship. This was in turn affected by the retrospective evaluation of the party's past performance rather than by the perceived expectation. See Sun, "Party identification re-examined: retrospective or prospective voting," in Kuan et al., Power Transfer and Electoral Politics, pp. 131-153.
27. The telephone polls conducted by the Social Science Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong have found gradual weakening of public support for political parties. In the March 1999 poll, it was found that the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, which focused primarily on labour and livelihood issues, enjoyed a level of public support higher than any of the political parties in Hong Kong. See Ming bao, 24 April 1999, p. A6.
28. The poll was conducted by the Social Science Research Centre of the University of Hong Kong. See Pinguo ribao (Apple Daily), 5 January 1999, p. A18.
29. See the Hong Kong Transition Project, The Matrix: What's Real and What's Not in Hong Kong Public Opinion (July 1999), mimeo., p. 28.
30. The most visible internal rift appears in the DP. It is in the midst of a mounting crisis in reconciling its grassroots and middle-class orientations. See Chris Yeung, "Struggle to strike a balance," South China Morning Post, 17 December 1998, p. 19; and "Call for calm at party crossroads," South China Morning Post, 1 January 1999, p. 13.
31. The most visible internal rift appears in the DP. It is in the midst of a mounting crisis in reconciling its grassroots and middle-class orientations. See Chris Yeung, "Struggle to strike a balance," South China Morning Post, 17 December 1998, p. 19; and "Call for calm at party crossroads," South China Morning Post, 1 January 1999, p. 13.
32. Opinion polls show that public support for the Legislative Council had failed over the past year. In addition, party leaders trailed behind senior government officials in popularity. See for example, Pinguo ribao, 28 December 1998, p. A1; ibid. 5 January 1999, p. A18; and Hong Kong Standard, 1 April 1999, p. 4.
33. Opinion polls show that public support for the Legislative Council had failed over the past year. In addition, party leaders trailed behind senior government officials in popularity. See for example, Pinguo ribao, 28 December 1998, p. A1; ibid. 5 January 1999, p. A18; and Hong Kong Standard, 1 April 1999, p. 4.
34. Opinion polls show that public support for the Legislative Council had failed over the past year. In addition, party leaders trailed behind senior government officials in popularity. See for example, Pinguo ribao, 28 December 1998, p. A1; ibid. 5 January 1999, p. A18; and Hong Kong Standard, 1 April 1999, p. 4.
35. Clarence Tsui, "Search for successors proves an uphill job," South China Morning Post, April 5, 1999, p. 13.