Citizens Party (Chinese: 民權黨) was a small pro-democracy political party in the Hong Kong, 1997-2008. It was founded by Christine Loh Kung-wai in May 1997. From 2005, the party was headed by Dr Joe Wong.
Besides demanding democratic reforms, the party focused on anti-discrimination and minority issues and was particularly concerned with environmental protection. In a statement in the SCMP at its formation, Loh said that the party believed in "small but caring government that provides high quality public services which guarantee information, choice and dignity". It called for equal opportunities legislation on race and opposed reclamation plans of the government, such as for the proposed prison on Hei Ling Chau island.
Loh won a seat for the party in the 1998 Legislative Council election. When she decided not to run for the 2000 Legco election, the party lost its only seat in Legco.
While continuing to express views in various issues, the party soon became less active in the political arena. In the 2003 Islands District Council elections, its then chairman, Alex Chan Kai-chung, unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Lamma and Po Toi constituency.
The party officially wound itself up in December 2008, under Section 21 of the Companies Ordinance.
Famous quotes containing the words citizens and/or party:
“Illness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)
“At every party there are two kinds of people—those who want to go home and those who don’t. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other.”
—Ann Landers (b. 1918)